And get KO'd early. "I've got to lose to an American before I retire but he [Povetkin] is a good one, he will win the title. I won two titles, so I'm not jealous." - Chris Byrd What happened in Byrd's next fight? Stopped by American journeyman Shaun George... I'm not joking. Losses can improve the perception of a fighter's ability, especially in this case. Getting officially 45 year old Ortiz the win in the trilogy would boost Ortiz's record considerably (Ortiz would have beaten a former 10 consecutive defence champion by spectacular knockout in what may well be Ortiz’s final fight too) and thus Wilder's record considerably, while delegitimising Wilder's derisory loss to Parker ("Wilder was mentally shot to pieces when he lost a decision to Parker, about to lose by early KO to a fossil who he'd beaten twice in his prime years"). Wilder and Ortiz are good friends; I'm sure Wilder would like to give Ortiz another payday, while making one last decent sum himself. Ortiz said recently that he's finding it hard to get decent opponents, everyone wins. There would be intrigue given Wilder's last performance and the competitive nature of the first two Ortiz fights. Ortiz seemed to have a lot more left in the tank when he fought Ruiz, winning most of the rounds. We also saw against Martin fairly recently that Ortiz can get off the canvas and still be very dangerous. Ortiz would have (on paper) easily the most significant win by a 42+ year old heavyweight since Foreman KO'd Moorer. He would also "prove" how dangerous he was several years ago, as well as demonstrating significant mental strength to overcome the current 0-2 deficit against Wilder at such an advanced age in what would be a moderate “upset”. Wilder would be significantly enhancing the record of Ortiz, who he KO’d twice when Ortiz was a much better fighter. Wilder would notch a 2nd trilogy on his record, far less significant than the Fury trilogy but still notable. Plus Wilder would get sympathy points as a broken warrior who lost four of his final five fights, three by KO. The only downside would be that Wilder would fall behind Marciano in the "highest KO ratio ever among heavyweight champions" stakes but that is a small price to pay. It would also make Wilder's career look less manufactured in a sense as he could always KO a couple of jobbers before retiring if he wanted to. Make it happen.
This content is protected For all of it to be unravelled by a boxing debutant, Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua. The irony.
