Deontay Wilder badly wants to get his hands on Tyson Fury again next year but has work cut out for himself before that can happen.

Before the 34-year-old WBC heavyweight titleholder can pivot his attention toward the lineal heavyweight champion from England, who just wouldn’t stay on the canvas when the two undefeated champs met last year, Wilder must again defeat Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz on Saturday. Wilder vs. Ortiz in a rematch of a fight that previously took Wilder to the brink of defeat in March 2018.

Wilder vs Ortiz Betting Odds and Info

Wilder vs. Ortiz 2 takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight will be telecast live via Fox pay-per-view. Wilder opened a heavy boxing betting favorite and the line has only swung more his way as fight night approaches.

RELATED: Deontay Wilder Favorite in November Rematch Vs. Luis Ortiz

According to DraftKings, Wilder is currently -715 with Oritz following at +425 on the two-way line.

Wilder (41-0-1, 39 KOs) is 1-0-1 since stopping Ortiz in the 10th round of a back-and-forth battle in May 2018. The Alabama-born puncher fought to a draw against Fury in December 2018; Wilder scored two knockdowns but Fury won just about every other minute of the fight. Six months later Wilder scored a picture-perfect first-round knockout against mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale.

Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) enters on a three-fight win streak. He stopped Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman in 2018 before going the distance with crafty German Christian Hammer eight months ago. While none of those fighters are considered legitimate contenders in the massively deep heavyweight division, those wins served their purpose of getting Ortiz in position for another crack at Wilder.

Obvious Bet: Wilder by Any Method at -550

Wilder has greatly improved since his first encounter with Ortiz while the latter, at age 40, seems to be on the decline. The most obvious bet in such a case is to find the bookmaker offering the best odds to back Wilder by any method and to just do that. In this case, Fox Bet offers Wilder at -550 on the draw no bet line.

There’s isn’t tons of value in backing such a heavy favorite, but Wilder is undefeated and perhaps just now becoming the best fighter he can possibly be. Besides, winning a small amount of profit is always better than losing your entire stake by being greedy.

Good Bet: Wilder by KO, TKO or DQ AT -300

Wilder is a knockout machine. In 42 professional fights, he has only gone the distance twice. Moreover, in one of those cases and under very similar circumstances to Saturday night’s fight, Wilder scored a first-round knockout in a rematch against Bermane Stiverne, a fighter who in 2015 gave Wilder some trouble by taking him the full 12 rounds for the first time.

Fox Bet offers Wilder by KO, TKO or DQ at -300. That’s a solid play backing arguably the hardest puncher in heavyweight history in a fight against someone he already knocked out before.

Better Bet: Wilder in Rounds 1-6 at +105

If you prefer to be cautiously bold, look for the stoppage within the first half of the fight. Wilder’s 12 rounds against Fury will only have made him a better attacker, and Ortiz is even older. Moreover, while Ortiz made a good showing in the first bout, he was still knocked down three times, the first coming during the fifth round.

Wilder is one of the best finishers in boxing, so don’t expect an older Ortiz to be able to weather the storm as well this time. Moreover, Wilder’s athleticism and power remain unparalleled in the sport.

Best Bet: Wilder in Rounds 4-6 at +260

For those looking to risk more upfront for a bigger return, backing Wilder to stop Ortiz in rounds 4-6 is probably the best approach. Ortiz is a solid southpaw with educated footwork. He has enough pop in his punches to keep Wilder from blitzing him at the outset, but he probably won’t be able to keep the champion from exploding on him starting somewhere around Round 4.

Back Wilder in rounds 4-6 at +260 with 888sport if you’re looking to make a play that offers a solid return at the risk of being specific. Wilder has been the WBC champ for almost half a decade and that’s not changing this weekend.