Three-Division
Champion Leo Santa Cruz Seeks Title in Fourth Division When He Battles Miguel
Flores for the WBA Super Featherweight Championship in Co-Main Event
Boxing’s
Longest Reigning Heavyweight Champion Battles Dangerous Cuban Puncher to Settle
Score After Epic First Clash
Tickets
on Sale Now!
LAS VEGAS (September 28, 2019) – Boxing’s longest reigning heavyweight
world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will
take on his most dangerous challenger to date when he defends his WBC title in
a rematch against once-beaten Cuban slugger Luis “King Kong”
Ortiz in the main event of the FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View Saturday,
Nov. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Three-division champion and current WBA Featherweight Champion Leo
“El Terremoto” Santa Cruz will seek a title in another
division in the co-main event when he takes on Miguel “El
Michoacan” Flores for the WBA Super Featherweight Championship as
part of the pay-per-view action beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Wilder and Ortiz will renew the rivalry they set in motion when
they first engaged in an explosive showdown in Brooklyn that was one of 2018’s
best fights. Wilder won that bout by 10th round TKO after Ortiz
stunned him and almost had him out in the seventh round. The thrilling match
featured plenty of twists and turns to necessitate a rematch.
With a combined 66 knockouts in 74 matches, Wilder vs. Ortiz II is
a heavyweight duel that guarantees an awesome display of punching power. The
first fight last year saw Wilder dropping Ortiz in the fifth round, Ortiz
stunning and hurting Wilder in a seventh round that he won 10-8 on all the
judges’ cards, and Wilder eventually dropping Ortiz again with a powerful right
uppercut that forced the referee to stop the bout in the 10th round.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by BombZquad Promotions,
TGB Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased atwww.mgmgrand.com or www.axs.com.
“We are thrilled to add this phenomenal heavyweight rematch
between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz to an exciting month of entertainment at
MGM Grand,” Richard Sturm, President of Las Vegas Live Entertainment
and Sports, said. “We can’t wait for fight fans to witness what is sure to
be a ‘knockout’ of an evening at the Grand Garden Arena.”
Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs), a bronze medal winner for the U.S. boxing
team at the 2008 Olympic Games, has more than lived up to the nickname
“The Bronze Bomber.” The 33-year-old Wilder has knocked out all but one
of the men that he has faced in the ring, making him one of the most feared
single-punch knockout artist in boxing today.
The most active heavyweight champion in the sport, this will be
Wilder’s third title defense in 11 months. He is coming off a highlight-reel
first round knockout of Dominic Breazeale in Brooklyn on May 18. Before that
had one of the most dramatic matches of 2018 when he dropped Tyson Fury twice,
including a stunning knockdown in the 12th round, on the way to
a split draw last December.
Born and still living and training in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilder
will return to fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the first time since he won
the heavyweight title with a dominant 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne
on January 17, 2015. The victory had even more significance for Wilder because
it came on the birthday of his boxing idol, Muhammad Ali. The rematch against
Ortiz will be his 10th title defense.
“When I fought Ortiz not only did he have the pedigree, but
also he had the classification of being the boogeyman of the division,”
said Wilder. “I agree with those who say that Luis Ortiz was my toughest
fight to date. No one wanted to fight him and they still don’t. In the rematch
there’s more confidence and more motivation to do what I have to do. I’ve
already seen the style before. It’s going to make it more fun. I can’t wait to
see how he tries to handle me when I’m at my best.
“This is the second big fight for me under my company,
BombZquad Promotions, and I’m very happy about that. We still have a lot of
work to do to build it into the kind of company that I know it’s going to be in
the future, but it’s coming along. To be able to do a FOX Sports PBC
Pay-Per-View at MGM Grand in Las Vegas under my own banner is fantastic.”
Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) has ripped off three-straight victories since
suffering the only loss of his career in that first match with Wilder in 2018,
including most recently winning a unanimous decision over Christian Hammer on
March 2. The southpaw, who was born in Camaguey, Cuba and now lives in Miami,
is one of the most avoided heavyweight contenders in boxing because of his
vicious knockout power and crafty southpaw boxing skills. In the first fight
with Wilder, Ortiz hurt Wilder with a textbook counter right hook that nearly
made him the first Cuban heavyweight world champion.
Outside of the ring, Wilder and Ortiz share a common bond-they’re
both motivated to fight for their daughters. Wilder’s oldest daughter, Naieya,
was born with spina bifida, motivating Wilder to take up boxing to pay for her
medical expenses. Ortiz’s daughter, Lismercedes, has a painful skin condition
called epidermolysis bullosa, which results in painful skin blistering and
Ortiz has worked to raise awareness for.
“I have to give Deontay Wilder a lot of
credit for taking this fight because it shows he has the heart of a true
champion,” said Ortiz. “He is not at all scared to take a dangerous
fight, because let’s be honest, this is the most dangerous fight for him.
In my opinion, he’s the best heavyweight in the world until someone beats him,
and that’s exactly what I’m going to do on November 23 at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena on FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View. ‘King Kong’ is coming to Las
Vegas!”
A three-division world champion fighting out of Los Angeles, Santa
Cruz (36-1-1, 19 KOs) holds the WBA featherweight title and will be making his
debut at super featherweight and seeking a title in a fourth weight class. The
31-year-old has been a dominant force in the featherweight division since 2015,
including two thrilling featherweight title duels against Abner Mares and Carl
Frampton each. He lost the belt in his first match against Frampton in 2016,
but reclaimed it in their rematch the following year. Santa Cruz has competed
in title bouts in 16 of his last 18 fights, while picking up belts at 118, 122
and 126-pounds and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Rafael
Rivera in his last fight in February on FOX.
“When I first started boxing my dream was to be a world
champion and I’ve been fortunate to win three different world championships in
three different divisions,” said Santa Cruz. “I couldn’t imagine
winning championships in four divisions. It’s something I never really dreamed
of and I’m very happy about this opportunity.
“I know Flores is another tough Mexican boxer like me.
He always comes forward, so it’s going to be a fun fight for the fans. I’m
really looking forward to fighting again in Las Vegas at MGM Grand. It’s going
to be a really exciting atmosphere because you have Deontay Wilder and Luis
Ortiz in a heavyweight championship fight, and Deontay always knocks his
opponents out, but we’re hoping that our fight will steal the night.”
Flores (24-2, 12 KOs) was originally scheduled to fight Santa Cruz
for the featherweight title in February, but severely sprained his ankle in
training and had to withdraw from the fight. Born in Mexico, but raised in and
fighting out of Houston, Flores rose up the rankings with victories over Ryan
Kielczweski, Ruben Tamayo and Mario Briones. After suffering a loss to Dat
Nguyen and seeking to rebound, Flores was ahead on the scorecards against Chris
Avalos in a fight on FS1 when the contest was stopped due to a cut on Flores’
eyebrow that was controversially ruled to have come from a punch. Flores
bounced back from that loss to stop Raul Chirino in April 2018 and also scored
a TKO victory against Luis May in his most recent fight on June 29 after the
ankle injury.
“I’m extremely excited to be getting this
opportunity once again to fight Leo Santa Cruz and win a world title,”
said Flores. “Being the co-main event on this FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View
card with Wilder vs. Ortiz headlining is incredible. This is a dream come true
for me, and I’m going to take advantage of the situation. This moment in
my life is something I’ve envisioned since I was a kid. On November 23,
you will see the best version of myself as I plan to be in the best shape of my
life, with the goal of becoming a world champion, and what better way to do it
than in Las Vegas at MGM Grand. Leo and I are going to put on a great
show, that you can guarantee.”
# # #
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