Luis Ortiz almost pulled from fight by NYSAC

Luis Ortiz’s High Blood Pressure Concerned NYSAC Until Today!

NEW YORK – Luis Ortiz was expected Saturday night to make it to the ring for his shot at WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

That wasn’t quite a certainty as late as Friday night.

The New York State Athletic Commission had concerns about Ortiz’s high blood pressure heading into their 12-round fight. The 6-feet-4 Ortiz weighed in at 241¼ pounds Friday afternoon at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

But it wasn’t until Saturday, according to sources, that Ortiz was completely cleared to challenge Wilder for his championship at Barclays Center.

Former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin – a southpaw, like Ortiz – arrived in New York late Friday night and was prepared to step in for Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs, 2 NC) in the event that the NYSAC wouldn’t allow the 38-year-old Cuban contender to face Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs).

Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs) was supposed to fight on the Wilder-Ortiz undercard – essentially on standby in case Ortiz couldn’t fight – but his opponent fell out earlier this week. Martin sat ringside for the fights Saturday night at Barclays Center.

Ortiz takes medication to control his blood pressure, an issue that was at the root of the November 4 bout between Wilder and Ortiz getting canceled.

Ortiz, who tested positive for two banned diuretics, failed to disclose that he takes that medication on a form he had to fill out for the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association as part of his participation in the WBC’s “Clean Boxing Program.”

The WBC wouldn’t allow Ortiz to challenge Wilder following the testing issue late in September.

Former WBC champ Bermane Stiverne, who was Wilder’s mandatory challenger, replaced Ortiz for that November 4 title defense. Wilder floored Stiverne three times on his way to knocking him out in the first round.

The WBC kept Ortiz in its ratings because the Mexico City-based sanctioning organization concluded after an investigation that Ortiz’s positive test stemmed from the required blood pressure medication he failed to disclose he was taking on VADA’s pre-test form.

 

Martin is a company man. Remember that, in a rush to avoid Povetkin, Big Al was secretly attempting to coerce both the WBC and Povetkin's team to allow Wilder to fight Martin instead. A sacrificial lamb.

 

Hahaha I guess so

 

Boxing with high blood pressure like Luis Ortiz has been doing has been stated by medical professionals, athletic commisions, and doctors to be actually quite dangerous.

According to medical research today; you should not do the following, as they can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels for a short period of time: Lift heavy weights without supervision from a qualified exercise trainer, and vigorous short bursts of exercise like boxing or squash.

There are two main types of physical activity: aerobic (or dynamic) and isometric (or static) exercise. Our bodies react differently to different types of exercise.

Boxing to a large degree involves isometric oriented exercises, but burst type of exercise can raise blood pressure during exercise. This burst can result in rapid changes in blood pressure which places severe strain on the heart and blood vessels. This form of activity involves a sustained contraction of one set of muscles. As a result, the heart beats harder, as only a small number of muscles are being used. This results in a decreased space for the blood to flow in. This results in a rapid rise in blood pressure, extra strain on the heart and blood vessels, and highly increased risk.

According to Dr. Adam Balogh - World Boxing Federation (WBF) Medical Advisor: (xv) Blood Pressure: To be average for age. Any boxer with a systolic pressure over one hundred fifty (150) or a diastolic pressure above ninety (90) is suspect and should have a special investigation.

 

Am I the author of that article? No, in fact I'm not. I did however write the post above.

It was posted at a certain rival boxing website.

 

it seems obvious that he was ill when he stepped into the ring. Do you think that his condition affected his performance is the question that I ask.