Luis Ortiz: 'I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world'

— -- Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury commands tremendous attention from boxing fans, but these days for all the wrong reasons -- the drug, alcohol and mental health issues that caused him to vacate his alphabet titles last month.

Former champion Wladimir Klitschko also receives enormous attention, which is no surprise given that he was world champion for nearly 10 years before losing his belts in a big upset to Fury last November.

Titleholders Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua also have plenty of the spotlight, and for good reason: They are both charismatic knockout artists with big fan bases who also talk a good game.

And then there is the 6-foot-4, 240-pound powerhouse Luis "King Kong" Ortiz, perhaps the best of all the big men but a guy who receives a fraction of the limelight of the others. He certainly appears to be the most feared fighter in the division because none of the other top big men dare mention his name.

So Ortiz is willing to keep smashing his way through those who will face him as he plows his way to the glory he aspires to obtain.

"I want to fight the very best and I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world," Ortiz said. "I'm willing to fight anyone, any champion, any place, any time. I'm ready for anyone: Joshua, Wilder, Klitschko. I know I can beat all of them."

Ortiz's signature victory came 11 months ago when he crushed former world title challenger and quality contender Bryant Jennings for a seventh-round knockout. He followed that victory with a punishing knockout of former two-time title challenger Tony Thompson in March.

But difficulties getting other name opponents and issues with promoter Golden Boy led to his team buying out the promotional contract for $1.1 million. A talent such as Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) was unlikely to be on his own for long, and six weeks after the split from Golden Boy he signed with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, the No. 1 promoter in the United Kingdom.

Hearn is not one to get involved with fighters who are not from the United Kingdom, but signing Ortiz was too enticing and he made an exception.

"Luis Ortiz is one of the most exciting heavyweights in the world, and I am delighted to be working with him," Hearn said upon signing him a month ago. "We plan to keep him very busy and let the fans enjoy his devastating power. Luis is an avoided fighter, but we plan on giving him the profile that will make that impossible."

Even Ortiz was surprised how quickly he landed a new deal.

"I always had faith in my manager and friend, Jay Jimenez, but I never expected this fast turnaround and I'm so excited about the future," he said. "God has been great to me and my family. I'm ready."

Hearn's plan to raise Ortiz's profile begins Saturday when he takes on heavy underdog Malik Scott at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo (HBO, 4 p.m. ET/PT with an evening replay at 11 p.m. ET/PT) .

As long as Ortiz, who recently was stripped of an interim world title for taking the fight with Scott rather than making a mandatory defense against Alexander Ustinov, wins and comes out of the fight with a clean bill of health, Hearn has him scheduled for the undercard of his biggest star's next fight. Ortiz, who was a standout on the Cuban national team as an amateur before defecting, is scheduled to return on Dec. 10 on the undercard of Joshua's defense against Eric Molina at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

"I'm going to be very busy over the next few months and looking forward to boxing in many countries as we continue my journey to the heavyweight world championship," Ortiz said. "I am a very experienced fighter. I have had the best boxing education with more than 350 [amateur and pro] fights under my belt. I believe I have the ability to adjust to any fighter and any style. That was evident in my fights with Jennings and Thompson.

"I am very proud of myself. I'm also very proud how I am bringing Cuba back into the minds of all boxing fans. Cuba is one of the most accomplished countries in terms of boxing. The style and speed and all the things we have, they are taught to us at a very young age. This is what makes us great boxers."

Even though Ortiz, a southpaw, is 37, he believes he is in his prime.

"I feel I have been at my peak for many years now," he said. "I have simply been late [arriving] on the U.S. heavyweight boxing scene. I have been fighting since I was in elementary school. Boxing is a very, very deep passion of mine.

"Now, it is a way to give my family a better future, and I tell you, no one will stand in my way of accomplishing this. In my eyes, I am the heavyweight champion of the world, and if anyone, any other champion, is willing to challenge me, to face me, I can and will prove it."

Scott (38-2-1, 13 KOs), 36, of Philadelphia, has never quite lived up to his potential. He was in many mind-numbingly boring fights and got whacked out in the first round by Wilder in 2014 in a fight in which many thought Scott gave less than his best effort. But he is willing to fight Ortiz and has won two fights in a row against decent opposition in former world title challengers Alex Leapai (on Leapai's turf in Australia) and Thompson.

"This is the fight I wanted -- I picked him," Scott said. "I told my promoter, Tom Brown, one of the three -- Anthony Joshua, David Haye or Luis Ortiz. After Ortiz beat Bryant Jennings, the media started talking about his invincibility and that he was the most feared heavyweight, and I immediately wanted to fight him. There's no such thing as unbeatable and I welcome the challenge to prove it.

"If I'm on my game on [Saturday], I'll shut him out. He's going to gas out early and I'll put on a boxing clinic. Ortiz is my pathway towards a world title opportunity -- this is my time to shine and slay 'King Kong.' Because of his reputation, this fight will get a lot of international attention and I'll be looking for full credit when I beat him -- no excuses."

Ortiz simply wants to get rid of Scott and move on to bigger and better fights.

"I do have a lot of respect for the heavyweight champions. They have accomplished a lot and have sacrificed a lot to be where they are. They do deserve recognition," Ortiz said. "I just want the chance to beat them and be [seen by all as] the next true heavyweight champion.

"I think Fury was able to shake up the heavyweight division, and because of him, the division is now one of the most exciting divisions to watch. I just want to get the opportunity to face him, or Wilder, to prove I am a champion as well."