Luis Ortiz (Cuban boxer)

Luis Ortiz
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Real King Kong
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Reach	84 in (213 cm)
Nationality	Cuban
Born	(1979-03-29) March 29, 1979 Camaguey, Cuba
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	27
Wins	25
Wins by KO	22
Losses	0
No contests	2
Medal record Men's boxing Representing Cuba World Cup 2005 Moscow Heavyweight

Luis Ortiz (born March 29, 1979) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a two-time and current WBA interim heavyweight champion, having originally been stripped of his belt for testing positive for anabolic steroids. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2005 Boxing World Cup. Nicknamed "The Real King Kong", Ortiz is known for his size, punching power and counterpunching skills.

Amateur career

With a reported 343-19 amateur record, Ortiz was a long-time member of the Cuban National Team without succeeding at the top international level. In 2006 Ortiz won the Cuban National "Playa Giron" at 91 kg. He holds amateur wins over many notable Cuban fighters including Mike Perez.

Cuban Championships medals:

• 2002 - Silver medal 95 kg
• 2003 - Bronze medal 91+ kg
• 2005 - Silver medal 91 kg
• 2006 - Gold medal 91 kg
• 2008 - Bronze medal 91+ kg

International results:

• 2005 - Panamerican Championships, Brazil - Gold medal 91 kg
• 2005 - World Cup (Team Competition), Russia - Silver medal 91 kg
• 2005 - World Championships, China - Quarter-finalist

Professional career

He trains with Dino Spencer at the World Famous 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach. He lives in Miami.

WBA Interim Heavyweight Title

First Win & No Contest

On October 11, 2014 Ortiz knocked down Lateef Kayode (20-0, 16 KOs) in the first round to in the Interim WBA Heavyweight title. 15 unanswered punches by Ortiz which scored on Kayode forced the stoppage. After the bout, Kayode claimed the knockdown was a slip, and stated the stoppage was premature, however Ortiz tested positive for a banned substance after the fight. On October 27, 2014, the NSAC postponed the taking of a decision whether to change the result to a no-contest or not until a full hearing of Ortiz who was not yet ready to testify on that date.

Second Chance vs. Vidondo

A year after being stripped, Ortiz had a second chance of becoming Interim World Champion, this time against Matias Ariel Vidondo of Argentina. Vidondo was down once in rounds two and three, Ortiz winning the bout via KO in the third round.

Ortiz vs. Jennings

Ortiz had his first real test against former world title challenger Bryant Jennings (19-1, 10 KOs) on December 19, 2015. Ortiz won the bout via TKO in the seventh round to successfully retain his World Title. This was Jennings first stoppage loss in his pro career. Ortiz improved his record to 24-0 with 21 knockouts and ranked at #1 by the World Boxing Association.

Ortiz vs. Thompson

On February 9, 2016 it was announced that Ortiz would defend his WBA Interim title against veteran heavyweight Tony Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) at the DC Armory, in Washington on March 5. Ortiz stated it was "just another stepping stone on my path to becoming the unified heavyweight world champion.” It was later announced on March 1, that this bout would no longer be for the WBA Interim title, simply because Thompson wasn't ranked in the top 15 by the World Boxing Association at the time. Thompson had lost three out of his last five fights, with his last outing a points decision defeat to Malik Scott in October 2015. Thompson was also beaten by Carlos Takam and Kubrat Pulev in the last three years. On fight night, Ortiz knocked Thompson down in rounds 1, 3 and 6. Thompson got up, but the referee Malik Waleed stopped contest. The judges had Ortiz ahead on all scorecards at the time of stoppage (50-43, 49-47 & 50-43).

Ortiz vs. Ustinov

After Ortiz defeated Jennings, the WBA had wanted Golden Boy Promotions to put together a fight between Ortiz and #5 WBA Alexander Ustinov, and initially that fight looked as though it wouldn't happen, and Ortiz fought Thompson instead. However, in May 2016 an announcement was made that a deal was in place for Ortiz to face Ustinov in the United States with the fight to be shown on HBO, who had also broadcast Ortiz last two fights. The date has yet to be finalised, but anticipated to in be August or September. The winner will be a step closer to a world title shot against the winner of the rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko.

Professional Boxing Record

27 fights, 25 wins (22 knockouts), 0 losses, 0 draw, 2 NC
No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
28	N/A	N/A	Alexander Ustinov	N/A	N/A	2016	TBA	Defending WBA interim heavyweight title
27	Win	25–0 (2)	Tony Thompson	KO	6 (12), 2:29	05 Mar 2016	DC Armory, Washington, District of Columbia
26	Win	24–0 (2)	Bryant Jennings	TKO	7 (12), 2:41	19 Dec 2015	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York	Retained WBA interim heavyweight title
25	Win	23–0 (2)	Matias Ariel Vidondo	KO	3 (12), 0:17	17 Sep 2015	Madison Square Garden, New York	Won vacant WBA interim heavyweight title
24	Win	22–0 (2)	Byron Polley	TKO	1 (8), 2:38	20 Jun 2015	Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Suspended
23	NC	21–0 (2)	Lateef Kayode	NC	1 (12), 2:55	11 Oct 2014	Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, The Joint, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won vacant WBA interim heavyweight title.
22	Win	21–0 (1)	Monte Barrett	KO	4 (10), 0:38	03 Apr 2014	Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California
21	Win	20–0 (1)	Alex Gonzales	KO	1 (10), 2:00	26 Nov 2013	BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida
20	NC	19–0 (1)	Joseph Rabotte	NC	3 (10), 2:59	20 Jul 2013	The Outdoor Miage, Greensboro, North Carolina
19	Win	19–0	Santiago De Paula	TKO	4 (10), 2:22	16 Nov 2012	Club el Millon, Santo Domingo
18	Win	18–0	Juan Carlos Antonio Maldonado	TKO	1 (6), 0:30	09 Nov 2012	Gimnasio Joan Guzman, Guachupita
17	Win	17–0	Jose Santos Peralta	KO	1 (10), 2:24	30 Sep 2012	Gimnasio Joan Guzman, Guachupita
16	Win	16–0	Walter Palacios	TKO	2 (6), 0:10	26 May 2012	Polideportivo Espana, Managua
15	Win	15–0	Epifanio Mendoza	DQ	7 (10), 1:07	10 Feb 2012	Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida	Won WBO, WBC Latino heavyweight titles
14	Win	14–0	Frank Mola	RTD	2 (10), 3:00	25 Nov 2011	Coliseo Carlos 'Teo' Cruz, Santo Domingo
13	Win	13–0	Arron Lyons	RTD	7 (10), 3:00	12 Aug 2011	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
12	Win	12–0	Henry Saenz	TKO	3 (11)	30 Jul 2011	Gimnasio Nacional, San Jose
11	Win	11–0	Luis Andres Pineda	KO	6 (9), 1:43	17 Jun 2011	Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City
10	Win	10-0	Jason Barnett	KO	1 (6), 2:38	03 Jun 2011	A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida
9	Win	9–0	Corey Winfield	KO	3 (8), 2:28	21 May 2011	Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina
8	Win	8-0	Bert Cooper	TKO	2 (10), 1:29	23 Apr 2011	Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo, Miami, Florida
7	Win	7-0	Jerry Butler	TKO	3 (6), 1:40	02 Apr 2011	Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, Florida
6	Win	6-0	Ruben Rivera	DQ	5 (8), 2:50	28 Jan 2011	Double Tree Westshore Hotel, Tampa, Florida
5	Win	5–0	Francisco Alvarez	TKO	8 (8), 1:27	07 Dec 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
4	Win	4-0	Zack Page	TKO	8 (8), 0:42	19 Sep 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
3	Win	3-0	Kendrick Releford	UD	8	24 Aug 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
2	Win	2-0	Charles Davis	TKO	4 (6), 2:20	15 Jun 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
1	Win	1-0	Lamar Davis	TKO	1 (4), 1:18	16 Feb 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida

Titles in boxing

• WBA interim world heavyweight title (2015–present)
• WBO Latino heavyweight title (2012)
• WBC Latino heavyweight title (2012)
• WBA Inter-American heavyweight title (2012)
• WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title (2011)
• WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title (2010)

Vacant Title last held by John Ruiz

WBA interim heavyweight champion October 17, 2015 – present

Incumbent

External links

• Professional boxing record for Luis Ortiz from BoxRec