Luis Ortiz came close to dethroning Deontay Wilder as WBC world heavyweight championship in 2018, and he'll get another chance at the title Saturday.
Wilder (41-0-1) will be the favorite over the 40-year-old Cuban. The undefeated champion has fought twice since beating Ortiz (31-1) by TKO, battling to a draw with Tyson Fury and knocking out Domic Breazeale.
Ortiz has fought three times since falling to Wilder in the 10th of 12 rounds in March of last year, beating Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman by knockout and Christian Hammer by unanimous decision. The win over Hammer was Ortiz's most recent fight, in March. Wilder fought Breazeale in May.
Will Wilder dispatch Ortiz more cleanly more than 18 months after their tight bout, or can Ortiz finish the win he nearly got in the seventh round last year? Either way, both fighters are set to come away from the fight much richer. Here's a breakdown of that purse, including how much each fighter is expected to make.
MORE: Full betting preview for Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz 2
Wilder vs. Ortiz 2 fight purse, prize money
Wilder will make at least $3 million, while Ortiz's payout begins at $1.5 million, per Yahoo's Kevin Iole. But according to an ESPN report (via Forbes), Wilder will end up with closer to $20 million, and Ortiz $7 million.
Wilder made headlines by turning down DAZN's $100-million, three-fight package in March. This week, he explained that decision in an interview with BoxingScene.com.
“I didn’t take the DAZN deal because the people that were representing DAZN were coming with an offer that wasn’t up front and truthful with me,” Wilder said. “They came back and apologized to us. They knew they were in the wrong. ... They were not honest in the information that was going in the offers, and who’s getting what. I felt that they hesitated to give us a response. They didn’t want to reveal the information, and that was very important information that we needed to make a decision."
In an interview with The Athletic, DAZN executive chairman John Skipper, who has little experience in the boxing world, admitted to having bungled the Wilder discussion.
"I was too brash going in there without creating the relationships," Skipper said. "Now I understand that I’ve got to work relationships, work within a framework and understand other peoples’ self-interests and needs as well."
MORE: Wilder says Colin Kaepernick "deserves another chance"
What is Deontay Wilder's net worth?
According to Forbes, Wilder earned more than $30.5 million in the first half of this year, after his win over Brazeale but before facing Ortiz. About $30 million of that came from salary/winnings, according to Forbes, with $500,000 more coming through endorsements.
Deontay Wilder career record
Wilder has never lost a professional fight. The 34-year-old turned pro in 2008 and won the WBC world heavyweight title by beating Bermane Stiverne in 2015. Wilder has defended the belt nine times since then, with just one fight going the distance.
Wilder is 41-0-1, the lone blemish coming in a controversial draw with Tyson Fury in December 2018. There is plenty of demand for a rematch between Wilder and Fury, but that hasn't yet come to fruition.