Upon glancing across invaluable website Box Rec, a familiar name came up: Luis Ortiz, AKA “King Kong.” Ortiz, a-one time skilled and somewhat avoided heavyweight contender, is slated as seeing action on September 19th, this in Orlando, Florida. At age 46, and inactive since January of 2024, when the Cuban lefty had his first fight in well over a year, Ortiz might be attempting one last push at something big.
Or, who knows, maybe Ortiz is taking his scheduled fight with the little-known Phillip Penson as a one-off that is merely designed as one more payday the kind of which Ortiz can still grab a hold of at this stage in his career? At 34-3(29), Ortiz is still in possession of a good-looking record, and he has only been beaten by the best – Deontay Wilder (X2) and Andy Ruiz. Ortiz has only been stopped by one man, this of course being “The Bronze Bomber.”
Does Ortiz Have Anything Left to Offer?
Penson, who will be taking a big step up even considering Ortiz’s advanced years (some people say Ortiz is even older than his officially listed 46 years), is just 8-4-3 and it’s likely not too many of us have even heard of him, much less have seen him fight (guilty on both counts).
So, can Ortiz come back, dust off his gloves and polish off a nondescript foe, and if so, what if anything would it mean for him? Ortiz may well be a fighter who knows he is destined to be largely remembered as a ‘what if?’ fighter; a talented operator who, through a mixture of bad luck, laziness and inactivity, failed to reach his full potential.
A Soft Spot for “King Kong”
Or, going out on a real limb, might Ortiz be about to shock us all with a big, highly successful comeback? Okay, that is reaching more than a little bit too far. But despite his flaws, plenty of fight fans do seem to have something of a soft spot for “King Kong,” a fighter who once briefly terrorised the heavyweight division, giving some good fighters we will not mention here some serious nightmares. And we wish him well.
Look for Ortiz to get himself a quick KO win on the 19th, but as to what might come after that, who on earth knows?