"Bommmmmmmmmb Squadddd" is the traditional phrase Deontay Wilder and his camp scream as loudly and obnoxiously as one possibly could. November 23rd, the squad found themselves in the ring bouncing and chanting, “All it takes is one” and all it took was one right hand clean jab to Luis “King Kong” Ortiz’s dome for one of the most decorated heavyweight’s Deontay Wilder to remain undefeated and the undisputed WBC heavyweight champion of the world.
In round one through five, both Wilder and Ortiz looked more as if they were preparing for a standardized math exam at M.I.T. with untraditionally calculated posture by the Bronze Bomber. In fact, Wilder’s dramatic medieval entrance was more entertaining than his ring performance up to this point in the much anticipated rematch which was leaving much to be desired. The judges scorecards had Ortiz the more active fighter winning five of the six completed rounds. Had the fight ended at round six, King Kong would have left the building beating his chest as the new and first Cuban heavyweight champion.
Despite his unexpected point lead, extreme conditioning and athletic physique (which was facilitated by UNLV’s women’s track and field coach Larry Wade), Ortiz came up short for the second time against Wilder when he was hit with Wilder’s infamous right hand punch which has taken out 40 other heavyweights. Kenny Bayless, the officiating referee, gave the full ten count for Ortiz to bounce back to his feet after the crippling blow and continued. In the end, Ortiz submitted to Bayless’ famous ring quote, “You must obey what I say” and Bayless said it was over 2:52 seconds into the seventh round by knockout.
Surprisingly, the fact that Ortiz unusually controlled much of the fight translated into a fight that lacked the excitement most boxing fans expect from a heavyweight bout. Perhaps Wilder was reminiscing on his first encounter with Ortiz and was respectful of Ortiz’s boogie man approach to sneak up and throw a powerful punch which nearly cost Wilder that fight. Wilder finally showed up for this fight in round six.
A wild Wilder is no more as the composure and patience displayed by a more disciplined and mature Wilder along with that impeccably timed punch won him the fight. Deontay was unconcerned with the fact that he was down in points the majority of the fight, hence the “all it takes is one” chant by his camp in the celebratory post fight ring interview. Wilder stated that he has a high boxing IQ and contributed his victory to it. He also stated that he’s not given the respect for his ring intelligence that he deserves. He further stated he was never worried about losing and that it was all part of his plan to stay patient in order to catch Ortiz off guard.
The fans and the boxing world certainly witnessed and appreciated Wilder's new style which solidified his career as the gatekeeper in the heavyweight division and the man his boxing colleagues must get past.
Deonatay Wilder is now tied with Muhammad Ali for the most consecutive title defenses in the heavyweight division and remains the most feared man on the planet.
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