Saturday night sees the debut of Cuban heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz as a Matchroom boxing fighter, as he meets the very capable Malik Scott over 12 for the vacant WBA intercontinental title at the classy Salle des Etoils resort in Monte Carlo.. Ortiz 25/0 (22) who recently jumped out of a contractual agreement with Golden Boy Promotions hasn't put a foot wrong since turning pro in 2010, but until 2014 had been flying relatively under the radar of the public eye.. in his 23rd outing Ortiz knocked out the awkward US based Nigerian Lateef Kayode in a round at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, the victory appeared to have earned him the lightly regarded WBA interim world title but it would be short lived as the Cuban would fail a drug test, resulting in the knockout victory being overturned to a No contest.. A year later following a blowout over trailhorse Byron Polley, Ortiz stopped highly regarded Matias Vidondo to once again pick up the interim belt, before pulling off his two more poignant wins, both stoppages, first over the crafty Bryant Jennings, followed more recently by a Tko of another former world title challenger Tony Thompson in what would be his most recent outing in march of this year.. Ortiz showed in both fights that he is more than ready for the next step and is much more advanced in ability that most of his heavyweight counterparts, the only drawback is probably his age, at 37 he needs to be moved fast.. Malik Scott however is a heavyweight from a different era, he turned pro back in 2000 alongside guys like Dominick Guinn and Davarryll Williamson, both of whom have hung up the gloves, yet despite having ten years more professional experience over Ortiz, he still comes into this fight the younger man by a year... Malik, an accomplished amateur maintained a great start to his career, by 2008 he was undefeated in 32 with 11 knockouts.. but between his 32nd and 33rd outings, points wins over Raphael Butler and Kendrick Releford, Scott took 4 years away from the ring due to injuries.. The inactivity set him back and allowed less experienced fighters to steal ahead of him and receive title shots.. After a year back Scott faced unbeaten Russian Olympian Vyacheslav Glazkov 14/0 in New York.. Scott looked to have done enough in the fight, outjabbing and outmanoeuvring the smaller Glazkov throughout the bout, until a split verdict saw him come away with a draw.. 5 months later the Philadelphian would receive his first loss at the hands of Derrick Chisora in London England, Scott looked in control of the fight before being caught with an overhand shot to the temple in the 6th.. Malik took a knee but rose to the referees count of 8, as Scott stood upright referee Phil Edwards waved it off at a 9 count, a decision that outraged Scott and still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.. in 2014 an opportunity presented itself that couldn't be refused, a fight with the number 1 ranked heavyweight Deontay Wilder who was 30/0 at the time, all knockouts, a victory would almost certainly placed Scott as head of the class.. Malik stepped up and promised plenty, but was knocked out cold inside a round which to this day appears to be his only clear cut loss.. 7 months after the loss, in his 40th fight, Scott would travel to Australia, to impressively outpoint the 30/5 Alex Leapai, followed in October of 2015 by a solid points victory over Tony Thompson 40/5, the very fighter to have faced Ortiz in his most recent display of power.. Malik is 38/2/1 (13) and possesses the fitness and natural ability to make life very hard for any heavyweight, he's taller at 6 foot 5, he's heavier and has by far the longer reach, but does however lack power.. it's an intriguing matchup but it's a fight that has the potential to throw the victor right into line for a title shot, something that in his 16 years as a professional has eluded Scott, this could be his final throw of the dice.
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