American Deontay Wilder has defended his WBC heavyweight belt with a TKO finish of Luis Ortiz in Brooklyn on Sunday (NZT).
The 32-year-old now likely moves to the front of the queue to face either Joseph Parker or Anthony Joshua and truly unify all of the division's major titles.
The "Bronze Bomber" had to dig deep late in the bout after the veteran Cuban used his savvy and experience to frustrate his opponent and likely edge himself ahead on the scorecards.
Ultimately it was a 10th round blitz from Wilder which forced the referee to step in and put a halt proceedings to ensure his flawless professional record remained intact.
Ortiz, a clear-cut underdog heading into the bout, had plenty of promising moments, highlighted by a dominant seventh round in which he had Wilder staggered as the bell came to the rescue.
Two rounds later and the momentum had clearly swng, with Wilder's finish in the 10th round preceded by a knockdown at the close of the ninth.
Despite the earlier adversity, Wilder was confident he would find a way to finish Ortiz.
"A true champion always finds a way to comeback and that’s what I did tonight," Wilder said post-fight.
"He put up a great fight, he was a great contender and my hats go out to him."
The American also made it clear he is ready to fight the winner of Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua and believes the Kiwi is a chance to upset the odds.
"I’m ready right now," Wilder said.
"My goal is to unify and I’m ready whenever those guys are.
"I think Parker got a 100% chance of winning that fight; he just has to be smart and stick with the game plan."
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