Fury: Wilder's Best Opponent 49-Year-Old Ortiz; He's In Trouble
By Keith Idec
Tyson Fury isn’t impressed with any of Deontay Wilder’s conquests, not even Luis Ortiz.
Fury belittled Wilder’s resume Monday, when they kicked off a three-day, three-city press tour to promote their December 1 fight for Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title. The lineal champion condemned Wilder for fighting “hand-picked” opponents and struggling against the aged Ortiz in their March 3 bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“He says Luis Ortiz is his best opponent,” Fury said. “The man’s 49 years old. I nearly knocked him spark out as well.”
Ortiz’s listed age at the time he challenged Wilder was 38, though he is rumored to be older than his current age (39). When the 30-year-old Fury mocked Ortiz’s age, Wilder mentioned the 6-feet-4, 241-pound Ortiz’s size.
“I didn’t say nothing about size,” Fury responded. “It’s age. Luis Ortiz is 49 years old, yeah? And he beat you, didn’t he? … So if that’s your best opponent, you’re in trouble, bum. I ain’t 49. I’m 29, or 30 now, so it’s still a big gap, 19 years different.”
The previously unbeaten Ortiz hurt Wilder badly during the seventh round of their scheduled 12-round fight. A resilient Wilder survived those troublesome moments and came back to knock down Ortiz twice in the 10th round, when he stopped the strong Cuban southpaw.
Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs, 2 NC) is consider a bigger puncher than England’s Fury (27-0, 19 KOs), but Fury is one of the most skillful boxers in the heavyweight division. The 6-feet-9 Fury keeps saying he’ll knock out the 6-feet-7 Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs), who’s one of the most devastating punchers in the sport.
“I’ll pop you like a balloon,” Fury said. “I’ll make you quit. You’ve got no heart and no nuts. Listen, you ain’t ready, you ain’t never gonna be ready, your managers know you’re not ready, your lawyer knows you’re not ready. That bald-headed fella on the side of you, he knows you’re not ready, whoever he is, old bald-head there, on the end [promoter Lou DiBella]. He ain’t ready. You’re not ready, dosser, are you? You big bum!”
The press tour for their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event December 1 at Staples Center in Los Angeles is set to continue Tuesday in New York. That press conference, which is open to the public, is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. ET on the Flight Deck at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.