The HBO boxing season has a good chance to end the year with a bang. Heavyweight knockout artist Luis Ortiz and top contender Bryant Jennings will meet in a toss-up fight Dec. 19 in the main event of a "Boxing After Dark" card at the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, New York.
Ortiz's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy, and Jennings' promoter, Gary Shaw, made the deal Wednesday, just days after Ortiz scored a one-sided, third-round knockout of Matias Ariel Vidondo to win a vacant interim title Saturday night at New York's Madison Square Garden on the Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux undercard.
Ortiz's interim title will be on the line against Jennings.
Top Rank has the opening fight on the telecast (10:15 p.m. ET/PT) and made a 10-round junior lightweight bout between former featherweight titlist Nicholas "Axe Man" Walters, who is moving up in weight, and big puncher Jason Sosa.
"With a mix of speed, power and amateur pedigree that is second-to-none, Luis Ortiz has quickly established himself as a force in the heavyweight division," De La Hoya said. "Luis is so hungry to continue his rise in the division that he has agreed to fight an enormously talented opponent in Bryant Jennings just two months after Luis' destruction of Matias Vidondo."
Said Shaw, "It's my pleasure to bring another great heavyweight showdown to the boxing fans, with Bryant Jennings taking on an undefeated fighter like Luis Ortiz. The fans know that I have always, and will continue, to put on real, competitive fights."
Ortiz, 36, said he was anxious to get back into the ring as soon as possible following Saturday's win.
"To headline an HBO event and fighting a former world title contender like Jennings is what I have been preparing my whole career for," said Ortiz, a southpaw and former Cuban amateur standout. "I know that after this fight people will know that I deserve a shot at becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. I think Jennings doesn't even know what he's stepping into on Dec. 19.
"I'm coming to make a statement. This fight is going to be an exciting stepping-stone to achieve my dream."
In September 2014, Ortiz (23-0, 20 KOs) knocked out Lateef Kayode in brutal fashion in the first round to win the same interim title in Las Vegas. However, Ortiz tested positive for a banned steroid after the bout. He was fined and suspended, the result was changed to a no-decision and the belt was taken away from him. He has won two fights in a row since, but because of his history with performance-enhancing drugs, he and Jennings will both undergo random drug testing by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
"Great matchup. Big puncher versus very athletic boxer who can take a punch and has very good movement," Shaw said. "I don't believe that Ortiz has fought anyone like Jennings, and he will be moving up to a different level.
"Ortiz has never faced a challenge of a Philadelphia fighter like Bryant Jennings, and he's going to find out real quick that this is another level. Jennings is ready to continue his quest to become heavyweight champion with VADA testing agreed to by both promotional companies for this fight."
Jennings (19-1, 10 KOs), 31, had a shot at the heavyweight championship on April 25, going 12 hard rounds in a decision loss to champion Wladimir Klitschko. Although Jennings lost a one-sided fight, he fought better than many thought he would.
"I'm excited to be getting back in the ring against Luis Ortiz, another big heavyweight," Jennings said. "He's coming off an impressive win, and he thinks he's at the top of his game. These are the typical type of opponents I like to showcase my skills against.
"I've come a long way since my last fight against Klitschko, and I have continued to train with a fierce intensity. When you suffer defeat for the first time, you learn things about yourself you never knew. I've improved a great deal on all aspects of my game, both mentally and physically. The world will see a great fight when I square off against Ortiz. That I can guarantee you. I'll be driving the WBA [interim] belt back home to Philly.
"The Klitschko fight was a good learning experience. To me the 'L' wasn't' for 'loss.' It was for 'learn.'"
Said Shaw, "[Jennings] showed in his last fight versus Klitschko that he belongs with the elite heavyweights and understands the challenges that lie ahead. Ortiz, who brings a high knockout ratio to the ring, will have his hands full, and Jennings is nothing like the fighter he just fought, whom he knocked out in the third round."
Jennings was offered an opportunity to face Ortiz on the Golovkin-Lemieux card but turned it down, a decision he said he does not regret.
"The money wasn't that good," Jennings said. "They gave us a number, and we said no, and they didn't budge. Then, they brought him up again, and I said, 'Oh, yeah? Well all right, what are they talking about?' My manager [James Prince] did his thing, and he came back with what I was satisfied with.
"I'm glad I turned down the fight before. It makes more sense for me now and for him. It's bigger now."
Jennings said he has seen only a brief clip of Ortiz knocking out Kayode but that he expects a competitive fight. He said he won't see anything he hasn't seen before, considering he has been facing quality opponents in recent fights, including Klitschko, Mike Perez and Artur Szpilka.
"I'm not cocky, but I'm confident in my ability to find ways to win," Jennings said. "I've been in with some stiff competition. I don't think I'll see anything new, but every heavyweight has power, and, you know, he's an older guy. I do have the youth advantage. Who knows why he needed to take the steroids, but hopefully, he learned his lesson."
Walters (26-0, 21 KOs), 29, of Jamaica, was stripped of his featherweight title for failing to make the 126-pound weight limit the day before what was supposed to be a defense against amateur nemesis Miguel Marriaga. The fight went on anyway, with Walters winning a lopsided decision in a non-title bout and electing to move up 130 pounds.
Sosa (18-1-3, 14 KOs), 27, of Camden, New Jersey, hasn't lost since a first-round knockout in his fifth pro fight in 2010.
"It's an explosive match of styles," Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. "The 130-pound division is interesting, and this will make it even hotter. It's a step up for Jason, but it's a big opportunity. Walters needs to come back with a strong performance because of the weight issues in his last fight. He won, but the weight hurt him, and it was a disappointing performance. We'll see how he looks at the new weight. This is a chance on a big card for both guys to make a statement."
Said Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz, who co-promotes Sosa with Top Rank, "Sosa's trainer [Raul 'Chino' Rivas] said grab it when we were offered the fight. He's not doing it for the money. He's doing it to prove he's in the league with the top guys. He believes anyone he can hit, he can get out of there. It's a big step up, but he feels he can do it. And how do you turn down a fight on HBO?"
Article courtesy of Dan Rafael