CLOSE THE DOOR ON YOUR WAY OUT
Why Luis Ortiz should not be allowed to fight again
HEAVYWEIGHT Luis Ortiz looked like a drug-fuelled monster as he smeared Lateef Kayode all over a Las Vegas ring three years ago. The eye-catching thrashing lasted less than three minutes and signalled Ortiz’s arrival on the world scene. Then came the truth. He was a drugfuelled monster. The Cuban tested positive for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone in the aftermath, caught red-handed, bang to rights.
The Nevada Commission could and should have made a stand back then, and so too should the WBA, who sanctioned the contest as an Interim title fight. The bout was reasonably high profile with that belt on the line, and with the issue of drugs in the sport spiralling out of control, Ortiz was the perfect case with which to make an example. But, of course, Ortiz barely got his inflated wrists slapped. Eightmonth suspension (which in the land of the heavyweights is a standard gap between fights anyway), a fine of $8,000 (he pocketed the remaining $72,000 of his purse) and a paltry 15 hours of community service. Nine months later, Ortiz was back in the ring, beating people up. In the meantime, any boxers considering cheating might have evaluated it was worth the risk, while any already on the juice were given zero incentive to empty their syringes.
The WBA even allowed him to win one of their middling belts again upon his return as he trampled over his opponents while challenging the real leaders. WBC champion Deontay Wilder surprisingly accepted, and offered him a shot at his title, scheduled for November 4 in Brooklyn.
The American has been accused of living a sheltered life throughout his career but, the truth is, he’s been eager to prove himself for some time now. Only last year, he accepted Alexander Povetkin’s challenge at a time when the Russian was viciously knocking out the likes of Mike Perez inside a round, even agreeing to fight the former WBA champion in his homeland. And then came the truth. Povetkin was a drug-fuelled monster. And while his reputation is absolute mud in the boxing industry, and the Wilder fight was canned, he too was allowed to continue fighting.
Aware of all this, Wilder advised Ortiz to “stay clean” ahead of their November showdown. Surely he would. Surely, heading into his biggest payday and opportunity of his life, he would not cheat (again). And then came the truth. Ortiz might still be a drug-fuelled monster. Last week it emerged, as a consequence of the WBC’S Clean Boxing Programme, that Ortiz had failed a drug test after banned diuretics, the kind that mask Performance Enhancing Drugs, were found in his body. The current word/excuse from the Ortiz camp is that it was medication for high blood pressure. That they failed to declare such a problem during the testing process seems exceptionally odd given the problems he’s encountered in the past. Unfathomable, in fact.
A raging Wilder wants to fight Ortiz anyway. While his anger is understood his wishes should not be granted. Such lawlessness hardly bears thinking about.
This whole sorry episode should trigger some action though. After being caught in the past, why would a fighter cheat again? And the answer is because they can. They know it’s possible to cheat their opponent and the sport. Furthermore, they know the punishment does not fit the crime.
With that in mind, how many boxers are taking PEDS? Of course, the answer to that is unknown but the presumption – markedly more than are discovered – should be very troubling indeed.
Boxing must learn from its mistakes. The WBC should hand Ortiz a lifetime ban from their rankings. Sloppy recordkeeping or cheating, he’s broken the rules again. All other sanctioning bodies must follow. All promoters should refuse to work with him. All fighters should refuse to fight him.
The sport must be seen to shut up shop, and at least try and keep these monsters from the door.