Luis Ortiz nicknamed ‘King Kong‘ is a professional boxer from Cuba who is famous for holding the WBA interim heavyweight title from 2015 to 2016, and for challenging twice for the WBC heavyweight title in 2018 and 2019. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2005 Boxing World Cup. As of November 2021, he is ranked as the world’s eighth-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
What is Luis Ortiz Known For?
- Being a Cuban professional boxer.
- For his formidable punching power and counterpunching skills.
What is Luis Ortiz’s Nationality?
Luis Ortiz took birth on 29th March 1979 which makes him the present age of 43 as of 2022. He is from Camagüey, Cuba due to which he holds Cuban nationality. When it comes to his ethnic background, his ethnicity is Mixed. He was born into a Christian religious family. There is little information about his life as his parents’ occupation or schools the future athlete attended remain unknown at a moment.
How was the Career of Luis Ortiz?
- Cuban boxer, Luis Ortiz was a longtime member of the Cuban national team without succeeding at the top international level. He had an amateur record of 343–19.
- Ortiz made his professional debut on 16 February 2010, against American boxer Lamar Davis (4–1, 1 KO) which he won. via technical knockout (TKO) after just under 80 seconds of round 1.
- His next fight was against 39-year-old Charles Davis which he won via TKO in round 4.
- He won the fight against Kendrick Releford via an 8-round unanimous decision of 80–72, 79–72, and 79–72 on 24th August 2010.
- He fought and won against Jerry Butler via third-round TKO and then knocked out former world title challenger Bert Cooper (38–22, 31 KOs) within 2 rounds.
- After then, he won against Corey Winfield (4–7, 2 KOs), won against 36-year-old Jason Barnett (12-13, 6 KOs), and won against Luis Andres Pineda (22-9-1, 18 KOs).
- He also defended the WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title against Henry Saenz (22–8–1, 18 KOs) at the Gimnasio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica. Ortiz won the fight via third-round TKO.
- In February 2012, Ortiz fought 36-year-old Epifanio Mendoza (32–13–1, 28 KOs) which he won.
- Next, he knocked out Jose Santos Peralta in 2 minutes and 24 seconds of round 1, beat debutant Juan Carlos Antonio Maldonado via first-round TKO, and knocked out Santiago De Paula in 4 rounds.
- He fought in July 2013 against Joseph Rabotte which resulted in a ‘No-Contest’.
- Then, he faced Lateef Kayode (20–0, 16 KOs), Byron Polley (27–18–1, 12 KOs), Matias Ariel Vidondo, Bryant Jennings (19–1, 10 KOs), Tony Thompson (40–6, 27 KOs).
- Later, he signed a lucrative deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport on 9 October 2016, believing it to be the ‘fastest way to stardom’.
- With this deal, he became the first foreign boxer to sign with the promotion. The deal was later revealed to be on a fight-by-fight basis.
- He then fought and won against American Malik Scott (38–2–1, 13 KOs).
- Winning against David Allen (9-1, 6 KOs), he was named mandatory challenger for the winner of the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO unification bout between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.
- On 29 March 2017, he signed a deal with American boxing adviser Al Haymon.
- After then, he fought against Derric Rossy (31–12, 15 KOs).
- He was fined US$25,000 as he failed a drug test carried out by VADA.
- On 4 December 2017, it was announced that he would appear on a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on 8 December at the Hialeah Park in Miami, Florida, his first fight in Florida in three years, against journeyman Daniel Martz (16–5–1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout.
- He made quick work of Martz, knocking him down in the first round with a body shot before getting the knockout victory in round 2, sending Martz face-first to the canvas from a left hook to the head. After the fight, Ortiz called out Wilder, who was sat near ringside, calling commentary. Wilder said to Ortiz, “I guarantee you, you’ll have the fight.”
- Likewise, he faced Deontay Wilder, Răzvan Cojanu, Travis Kauffman, Christian Hammer, and Alexander Flores.
- His recent fight was against one-time IBF heavyweight titleholder Charles Martin. He staggered Martin with an overhand left, before knocking him down with a flurry of punches. Although Martin was able to beat the ten count, he was quickly knocked down for the second time after the action resumed, which prompted the referee to wave the fight off. Martin had a good start to the fight, as he managed to knock Ortiz down twice early in the fight, in rounds one and four. Martin was leading on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with scores of 48–45, 48–45, and 47–46.
- Regarding his boxing record, he has fought 37 matches till now out of which he won 33 matches, and lost 2 matches. Whereas his 2 matches are ‘no contests’.
Luis Ortiz Awards and Achievements
Amateur Career
- Cuban Championships medals
- 2002 – silver medal, 95 kg
- 2003 – bronze medal, 91+ kg
- 2005 – silver medal, 91 kg
- 2006 – gold medal, 91 kg
- 2008 – white ribbon, 91+ kg
International results
- 2005 – Panamerican Championships, Brazil – gold medal, 91 kg
- 2005 – World Cup (team competition), Russia – silver medal, 91 kg
- 2005 – World Championships, China – quarter-finalist, 91 kg
How Rich is Luis Ortiz?
Luis Ortiz is a heavyweight boxer. In a meteoric 13-year career, he has made a huge fortune from his boxing career which is his main source of wealth. As of 2022, the net worth of Luis Ortiz is estimated to have $8 Million. He is making his annual salary in millions of dollars. Fighting against, Deontay Wilder in 2018, Ortiz received a $500,000 purse. The fight averaged 1.1 million viewers and peaked at 1.2 million on Showtime. Against Travis Kauffman, Ortiz was guaranteed $375,000 compared to Kauffman’s $125,000 purse. Fighting against one-time IBF heavyweight titleholder Charles Martin, Ortiz earned $1.5 million for the fight, with a $500,000 guaranteed purse and an additional $1 million from PPV shares. He is also making a cool sum of money through various endorsement deals, sponsorships, and bonuses. He is living a luxurious lifestyle as of now.
Who is Luis Ortiz married to?
Married man, Luis Ortiz has not shared any details about his wife’s name. Only the facts is known that the duo is blessed with three children; two daughters and a son. Currently, the happy family is residing n Miami, Florida. Apart from that, there is no detailed information about his private life. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay.
How tall is Luis Ortiz?
Luis Ortiz is a handsome boxer with an attractive fighting style which attracted a lot of fans towards him. Luis has a tall standing height of 6 feet and his balanced bodyweight consists of 240 lbs or 109.09 kg. He has short black hair with a pair of brown eyes. His biceps size is 23 in or 60 cm. His highest reach is 78 in or 1.98 m. He has got a healthy body at present and he frequently goes to the gym to maintain his body. Luis has not inked tattoos on his body.
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