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By: Hans Themistode
Cuban native Luis Ortiz is making one final push to reach the mountain of the heavyweight division. The former WBA interim titlist and two time title challenger, is set to return to the ring as the co main event on November 7th, against Scott Alexander.
The headliner on the night is former unified champion Andy Ruiz. He’ll look to get his career back on track and erase the “lucky” label that has seemingly been attached to him when he takes on Chris Arreola.
For Ortiz, he’s spent long stretches of his career near the top of the division. Along with his eye-catching knockout performance’s came a reputation of being the division’s boogieman. Yet, with one Deontay Wilder right hand, those myths were quickly thrown out the window. The two went toe to toe in a fight of the year candidate back in 2018. It was the first time in the career of Ortiz that he found himself fighting for a world title and he did not disappoint.
After spending the majority of the first half of their contest out boxing his man, Ortiz, like most Wilder opponents, found himself looking up at the ceiling lights while the referee began his count. The Cuban native managed to make it back to his feet but was once again sent down to the mat, this time for good.
It was the first defeat of his career, but Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) saw his stock rise. So much so that he earned another shot at Wilder one year later. This time around, things ended anticlimactically as Wilder finished Ortiz with a single punch in the seventh round.
Now, at an age where fighters typically decide to hang up their gloves, Ortiz is looking to make another run.
For Scott Alexander (16-3-2, 8 KOs) his career has been spent in boxing obscurity. The career long journeyman has never found himself in the title hunt, nor has he faced any of the upper echelon of the division.
He is however, riding a two fight win streak, albeit against less than stellar opposition.
With Tyson Fury handing Ortiz a gift in dethroning Wilder earlier this year, the Cuban native will attempt what he hopes to be an easier road to a world title.
