What next for two of the heavyweights who were in action last night: Luis Ortiz and Tony Thompson? Ortiz, the Cuban southpaw who is a claimant of the WBA title, will move on to a summer fight with Alexander Ustinov, a fight that is part of the WBA tournament designed to crown just one man as their heavyweight ruler (Lucas Browne of Australia becoming the latest claimant thanks to his thrilling stoppage win over Ruslan Chagaev yesterday).
The DC Armory was alive with action as Luis Ortiz continued his charge on the heavyweight division against rugged veteran Tony Thompson.
Early action saw local favorite Damon Allen (9-0, 4 KOs) dominate a game Angel Aispuro. He landed to the body and head at will, but Aispuro was defiant. At times, he gave Allen a right or left to the head to think about. However, Aispuro took a heap of punishment that culminated with a serious cut to his right ear. Referee Billy Johnson called it 2:17 into the sixth round.
(Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions) Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) and Sadam “World Kid” Ali (22-1, 13 KOs) squared off in the co-main event for the WBO Welterweight world championship. Both fighters landed big power shots throughout the first half of the fight, but at the end of the eighth round, Vargas caught Ali with an overhand right that dropped the previously undefeated fighter. Ali made it out of the round but was still on shaky legs in the ninth, and Vargas continued to apply pressure until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight toward the end of the round.
(Photo Credit: Louis Tinsley – Tom Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions) WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 3, 2016) – Fighters featured on the March 5 HBO Boxing After Dark telecast shared their final thoughts ahead of Saturday’s fights at the final press conference today in Washington, D.C. WBA Interim Heavyweight Champion Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) was joined by Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) ahead of their clash in the main event on the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast on Saturday.
It probably won’t matter to the fans who plan to tune in to see the bout on Saturday night, but the fight between interim WBA heavyweight champ Luis Ortiz and short-notice challenger Tony Thompson will not be a sanctioned title fight. The WBA, as reported by ESPN.com, decided against sanctioning the contest, largely due to the fact that Thompson, though a good and experienced heavyweight, is not currently ranked in the WBA’s top-15 at the weight.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya knows real talent when he sees it, and the Golden Boy head thinks he has the best big man in the sport signed to him. De La Hoya believes interim WBA champ Luis Ortiz can see off all comers and he wants to keep the Cuban southpaw active – so much so that, if Ortiz beats Tony Thompson with relative ease on March 5th, “King Kong” will fight again on the May 7th Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan bill in Las Vegas.
Luis Ortiz is scheduled to defend his WBA interim title against Tony Thompson on March 5 in Washington, DC. Ortiz belongs at the top of the division but has a hard time getting the exposure and especially the fights that he deserves.
Ortiz is fighting Thompson as a last resort after he was turned down by 5 other heavyweights. The Cuban is clearly being avoided and there is feeble excuse but obvious reasons for the reluctance of the big boys to face him in the ring. His record is 24-0, his skills are remarkable and he has gone the distance only once in an eight-rounder 6 years ago.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions: Welcome, everyone, to the Luis Ortiz, Tony Thompson and Sadam Ali and Jessie Vargas media conference call. These will be two exciting matchups taking place on March 5th at the DC Armory in Washington D.C.
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 8, 2016) – Fresh from a stunning knockout of Bryant “By-By” Jennings and eager to continue his quest to be the best heavyweight in the sport, WBA Interim Heavyweight World Champion Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) will make his first title defense of 2016 when he faces former world title challenger Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) in 12-round main event at the DC Armory, in Washington D.C.on Saturday, March 5 and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Opening up the live telecast, top contender and 2008 Olympian Sadam “World Kid” Ali (22-0, 13 KOs) will face former WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Jessie Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round co-main event for the vacant WBO Welterweight World Championship.
It has been confirmed by ESPN.com, how Cuba’s Luis Ortiz will face German-based Russian Alexander Dimitrenko on March 5th. Southpaw Ortiz, 24-0(21) will be making the second defence of the interim WBA heavyweight title he won by stopping little-known Matias Ariel Vidondo last October. The 36-year-old who is known as “The Real King Kong,” is coming off a very impressive stoppage win over Bryant Jennings who he halted in the seventh-round in December.