Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz 2 confirmed: American risks legacy after snubbing Anthony Joshua superfight

Deontay Wilder has predictably opted against pursuing a superfight with Anthony Joshua and instead agreed to rematch Luiz Ortiz.

The WBC world heavyweight champion's value has never been higher after knocking out Dominic Breazeale in one round earlier this month.

And as a result, the clamour has grown for an undisputed fight with Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts.

But with just days before the Brit makes his US bow at Madison Square Garden against Andy Ruiz Jr, Wilder has dampened faint hopes of a unification before 2020.

While the first fight with Ortiz was thrilling and eventually led to the Bronze Bomber knocking the Cuban out in the 10th round, there has not been a significant demand for a rematch given the prospect of meeting one of the other two giants of the division: Joshua or a second meeting with Tyson Fury.

His dramatic draw against Fury left a bigger doubt hanging over that particular fight, but a combination of preserving his value as an unbeaten champion and the Brit opting to sign with Showtime's network rival ESPN has pushed back the only other satisfying fight.

“To all my fans, I want to announce that Luis Ortiz and I have signed for a rematch,” Wilder said.

“The date and site will be announced shortly. All my controversial fights must get dealt with ASAP [‼️]”

While Ortiz was certainly in the fight of March 2018, picking off rounds against an ungainly Wilder, the emphatic nature of the fight’s conclusion rendered any previous good work irrelevant and seemingly ended an appetite for a rematch.

Wilder’s timing here is precise too, preferring to already to commit to his next move before Joshua can perhaps dispatch Andy Ruiz Jr in three days to build his case as the world’s greatest heavyweight.

The American would not even allow for speculative meeting between the two camps, as promoter Eddie Hearn had hoped, on the Sunday after this weekend’s fight in New York.

Wilder may well be maximising his value, but it remains flawed strategy that could implode sooner rather than later. Ortiz’s threat, Joshua’s development and father time, given the 33-year-old had absorbed 42 training camps, mean the greatest fight of this era may never materialise.