Fast Results from Las Vegas: Wilder Knocks out Ortiz Emphatically

LAS VEGAS, NV — Tonight WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder made the 10^th defense of the title he won in 2015 in a wide decision over Bermane Stiverne here at the MGM Grand Garden. In the opposite corner was former opponent Luis “King Kong” Ortiz whose only loss in 32 pro bouts came at the hands of the “Bronze Bomber.”

In common with the first meeting, the bout started slowly as both were wary of each other’s power. The first four rounds were very much a carbon of the first meeting. The pace picked up slightly in round five but yet there was no intimation of the thunderclap that would bring the fight to a sudden and dramatic conclusion. In fact, through the six completed rounds, Ortiz was ahead by two points on one of the cards and by four points on the others.

The moment of truth for Luis Ortiz came in the final minute of round seven when Wilder landed a straight right hand that hit Ortiz flush in the forehead. Down he went on his backside. It appeared that he beat the count by a fraction of a second but his legs were unsteady and referee Kenny Bayless wisely stopped the fight.

Wilder improved to 42-0-1 with his 41st knockout and built a strong case that he is the top dog of all the active heavyweights.

TV Undercard

In a bout for a vacant WBA 130-pound title, Leo Santa Cruz (37-1-1) became a title-holder in a fourth weight class with a unanimous decision over Tex-Mex challenger Miguel Flores (24-3). The scores were 115-112 and 117-110 twice. There were no knockdowns but Flores had a point deducted for holding in round eight.

There were no indelible moments, but things became a bit dicey for Santa Cruz in round 10 when an accidental clash of heads opened a gash on his left eyelid. After the fight, Santa Cruz stated that he hoped 2020 would bring a fight with Gervonta Davis and/or Gary Russell Jr. He would be willing to move to 135 to fight Gervonta, or so he said.

In a good action fight fought at close quarters, Brandon Figueroa and Julio Ceja battled to a 12-round draw. At stake was Figueroa’s WBA super bantamweight title. However, Ceja came in four pounds overweight, so he could not claim the title if he had won.

The 22-year-old Figueroa, from Weslaco, Texas, remained undefeated at 20-0-1. His older brother Omar Figueroa Jr., a former WBC lightweight title-holder, suffered his first pro loss in this building four months ago. Mexico’s Ceja, who came in having lost three of his previous five, declined to 32-4-1.

In a mild upset, Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez (23-2-3, 10 KOs) scored a fourth-round stoppage of Leduan Barthelemy. A sweeping right hand followed by an overland left knocked Barthelemy on the seat of his pants near the end of the fourth round. He turned his back on the referee when he arose and the fight was waived off.

This was a rematch. They had previously fought to a draw. Ramirez was 2-2 in the interim. Leduan, the youngest of the three fighting Barthelemy brothers, fell to 15-1-1.

Other Bouts

In a welterweight contest, 17-year-old Vito Mielnicki Jr improved to 3-0 with a second- round stoppage of North Carolina’s Marklin Bailey (6-6). New Jersey’s Mielnicki, nicknamed White Magic, had knocked out his first two opponents in the opening round. Marklin had lost four straight coming in and while he had scant chance of winning when the fight was made, he got no break from referee Russell Mora who stopped it prematurely.

The Alejandro brothers from Dallas, 23-year-old Arnold (11-1) and 19-year-old Angel (8-0) had mixed results vs. their Filipino opponents. In a shocker, Arnold, a super featherweight, suffered his first pro loss when John Cermino (21-12-1, 11 KOs) unhinged him from his senses in the fifth round with a devastating right hand. The referee didn’t bother to count. Angel (8-0) fared better in a 6-round contest with Mark John Yap (30-15), winning a unanimous decision.

Cruiserweight Marsellos Wilder, a former Arena League football standout and the younger brother of Deontay, was knocked out for the second time in seven pro fights. Dustin Long, a 37-year-old Tennessean, turned the trick with a sweeping left hook in the fourth round. Long improved to 3-1-2.

Twenty-year-old Brownsville welterweight Omar Juarez improved to 6-0 with a sixth-round stoppage of Michigan’s Kevin Shacks (3-5-3). Juarez had Shacks down twice in the first round but the Michigander lasted into the sixth.

In a battle of southpaws, LA-based Ukrainian Viktor Slavinskyi (11-0-1) won a six-round decision over Alejandro Hermosillo (11-2-1). The scores were 60-54, 59-55, and 58-56.

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