Deontay Wilder knocks out Luis Ortiz in stunning seventh round stoppage
- Devastating right hand ends fight against classy Cuban
- Wilder was chasing the fight when he struck
Deontay Wilder stunned Luis Ortiz with a right hand missile at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night to retain his WBC heavyweight title.
Wilder (41-0-1) was way behind on the judges’ scorecards when he landed a straight right which sent Ortiz (31-2) into oblivion. The Cuban, staggered and blinking, was unable to beat the count.
The concussive ending came after a strangely lacklustre first half of the fight from Wilder.
The fight was a rematch of a bout last year when Wilder struggled to a 10th round stoppage against the crafty veteran.
Wilder fought cautiously but began to pick up the pace as the fight rounded the midway point, and the right hand that brought the fight to a close at 2:51 of the seventh seemed to come from nowhere.