Herman Caicedo, Trainer for Luis Ortiz: “He’s Only Getting More Confident!”
Well, on November 23, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-2, 26 KO’s) was a part of history being made. Although, not the kind he would have preferred. The talented southpaw was aiming at being the first Cuban heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. Instead be became the tenth successful title defense for WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KO’s).
LIGHTNING STRUCK TWICE
After dropping a second consecutive loss, both by way of knockout, Team Ortiz insists that there is no bad blood between the two camps. Ortiz’s trainer, Herman Caicedo, explained to Fight Hub TV that despite being disappointed, Ortiz was in good spirits.
Going into the rematch of their March 2018 thriller, it was widely accepted that Ortiz was by far the better technical fighter. Yet, as it is with all Wilder prizefights, the big question was could the Bomber land his signature money punch? For the first six rounds the answer was a hard and definitive “No!” The first half of the fight was solely characterized by Ortiz dictating the pace and pushing the action.
That was until for one split second, in the seventh period, King Kong became overly relaxed on defense. And that was all it took! With a single straight right-hand, Wilder dropped Ortiz and ten seconds later the fight was over.
“There is not much you can say other than your so proud and you got nothing to be ashamed of. You know, stop apologizing to everybody because there is no reason to apologize. That’s what he kept doing, apologizing that he didn’t win the fight or whatever.
“There is no need for that, we’re a tight knit group as I am sure Wilder’s team is a tight knit group. You don’t need to apologize to family, it just didn’t happen.”
STILL FRIENDLY FOES
As would be expected, Ortiz was not happy about the outcome, especially with his early success. Nevertheless, the hard-hitting Cuban took the defeat in stride and insists that this is not the end of the road for him.
If anything, in the aftermath of the bout, the most pressing matter for King Kong was calming his eldest daughter down. Having seen him struck and failed with such a tremendous blow, the young lady had become a bit upset.
“She was distraught. You know, she was probably the most distraught, she is the oldest. She knew exactly what was happening so he calmed her down. He was more worried about his daughter than anything else.
“They’re good now.”
Past this, Ortiz and his team were gracious and humble in defeat. When asked about his future, Caicedo, was firm in his belief that Wilder’s was very bright. When asked specifically how he thought prizefights with Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (29-0-1, 20 KO’s) and Anthony “AJ” Joshua (22-1, 21 KO’s) would go, Caicedo was extremely pro-Bomb Squad!
“He [Wilder] knocks Fury out! He’s only getting more confident. He’s a steamboat, a boulder, one of those big snow boulders, growing and growing rolling downhill that’s going to destroy the little town at the bottom! And anyone at the bottom is going get bulldozed. And everyone is at the bottom! He’s at the top.
“If Joshua fights him, he’s going to get knocked out in one round. Not six, not eight, not ten, one round. It’ll be just like Breazeale. Fury might last a few more rounds because obviously he’s shake and bake, but he’s going to get knocked out.”
WHATS NEXT FOR KING KONG?
It’s refreshing to see Team Ortiz maintain their high level of sportsmanship after everything was said and done. Even in his losing effort, Ortiz looked fit, sharp and energetic in the ring. Although King Kong is often given a tough time about his age, he didn’t fight like he was 40 years old in the ring. Hopefully, Ortiz will be able to score another big-name opponent in his next outing.
By: Bakari Simpson
