WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder already has plans to face lineal champion Tyson Fury in a hotly anticipated rematch sometime early next year, but that apparently won’t stop Wilder from first taking on dangerous Cuban slugger Luis Ortiz on Nov. 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight will be telecast live via Fox pay-per-view.

Wilder opened as a significant boxing betting favorite to defeat Ortiz again in a rematch of the May 2018 bout that saw Wilder stop Ortiz in the 10th round of a thrilling back-and-forth contest. The best odds to back Wilder on the early betting market are -400 at Fox Bet. The best place to back the underdog Ortiz is at FanDuel at +430.

First Wilder-Ortiz Bout a Thriller

Judging by the first bout, backing Ortiz isn’t a bad bet if you think the second fight will go the same way. Sure, Wilder ultimately stopped Ortiz late in the fight, but in order to do it, he had to withstand an amazing amount of punishment. Besides, perhaps if Ortiz had been just a little more cautious after he hurt Wilder in the seventh round he could have had a stunning win instead of a crushing loss.

In the end, Wilder used his incredible punching power, amazing athleticism and world-class tenacity to rebound in a big way. The American dropped Ortiz twice to the canvas in the 10th round before the referee waved the fight off and Wilder ended up nabbing the single most impressive win on his resume.

All three judges at ringside had Wilder narrowly ahead in the fight at the time of the stoppage at 85-84. It was a really close fight that could have gone either way had it gone the full 12 rounds.

Important Wilder-Ortiz 2 Early Betting Factors

Wilder has improved greatly since the first Ortiz bout. In fact, one could argue that it was precisely that tough bout that helped him become the fighter he is today. Up to that point, Wilder hadn’t really faced anyone as skilled as Ortiz, but since then he has gone 12 rounds against Tyson Fury, arguably the best pure boxer in the division in a split-draw many people believe should have gone Wilder’s way.

Wilder also annihilated top contender Dominic Breazeale in just one round in his last fight, a performance which displayed again that he seems to constantly be improving as a fighter.

Ortiz, on the other hand, has won three straight fights against mostly second-tier opposition. Once considered the heavyweight division’s resident boogeyman, he no longer appears to be the menacing destroyer people once thought he was. And though he is listed as 40, some in the sport believe he is much older – many Cuban boxers defecting to the U.S. are suspected of fudging their ages to make themselves more marketable.