Deontay Wilder has revealed all on his decision to face Luis Ortiz again, rather than wait on an undisputed unification with Anthony Joshua.
Taking to social media, Wilder intentionally chose to make the Ortiz II announcement during Joshua’s fight week for Andy Ruiz Jr.
This took Joshua by surprise and has now affected efforts to make the fight a reality in the short term.
WBN understands Wilder has a plan in place for at least the next twelve months, leaving Joshua out in the cold to mop up his mandatory challengers.
Explaining why Ortiz is next when fans want the big one, Wilder placed some of the blame firmly on Joshua and his team.
“I knew none of these major fights were going to happen this year, so why not go ahead and get Ortiz II in there?” Wilder told The Los Angeles Times.
“This was the perfect time to finish (the fight) in a better fashion. And better than to wait on ‘this major fight.’
“I do not trust anything that (Joshua’s team) say. And who else is fighting Ortiz?
“The ones who hate this, I understand that because they want Wilder-Joshua. Everyone is impatient. They want what they want. But knowing I’m the most exciting heavyweight in the world, you’ll still watch the fight (against Ortiz), no matter what, because I bring the drama and the pain.”
On what can be expected from an Ortiz rematch, Wilder concluded: “You know Ortiz is going to get up for this big fight. We saw it with me.
“Every fighter who goes against me gives it their best because they’re going in there with a killer.
“You only get exciting fights, and that’s what I want to bring to the world,” he added.
RANKINGS
Wilder halted Dominic Breazeale in just one round on May 18, six rounds earlier than Joshua.
The Barclays Center victory placed Wilder in top position ahead of Tyson Fury on the WBN Divisional Rankings list.
A Joshua triumph in similar style against Ruiz would be enough to overhaul Fury and drop the ‘Gypsy King’ into third place.
