Boxing: Wilder vs Ortiz II Odds and Prediction

Arguably the hardest puncher on the planet is back in action later this year as Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder defends his WBC heavyweight title in a rematch against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz. The fight doesn’t have a date or location yet but the rematch appears to be in full force. Wilder won the first battle in March 2018 and is a -800 favorite in the second bout with Ortiz coming back at +500.

Odds Analysis

Odds on top-level boxers tend to get out of hand, typically around -2500 or even higher. For example, when Tyson Fury fought Tom Schwartz in June, he was a -5000 favorite. So seeing Deontay Wilder at -800, there appears to be some value at that line. Wilder was the victor in the first contest, scoring a 10th-round knockout, and as the younger fighter, it’s hard to see a different outcome in the rematch.

That being said, the odds the first time these two fought saw Wilder as a -305 favorite and Ortiz coming back at +255. The Cuba native connected on a left hand in the seventh round that hurt Wilder but he was unable to put his opponent away and ended up losing in the 10th. Perhaps he saw a hole in Wilder’s defense and he could earn the upset?

How Will This Fight Play Out?

The only time we have seen Wilder compete in a rematch, he absolutely demolished Bermane Stiverne in the first round. If we are going on that small sample size, Ortiz is in real danger. Additionally, it appears that The Bronze Bomber continues to improve every time he enters the ring and when he goes on the attack, his opponent is typically in a bad way shortly after.

King Kong has really good head movement and moves surprisingly well for a big heavyweight, often bouncing out of harm’s way quickly and firing back with heavy hands. It was a well-timed left hand that hurt Wilder in the first bout and had him scrambling to survive. Ortiz sometimes does get a little lazy in his defense, relying too much on head movement and counters, and if he’s slow to react to a punch, he takes it right on the chin. That is a dangerous game with Wilder.

Prediction: Deontay Wilder (-800) via knockout

Odds as of August 7 at Bovada