This was the most touching world boxing championship match; there was no loser, only two great fathers

The 34-year-old Wilder is likely to go on to unify the heavyweight boxing division, while for the 40-year-old Cuban \"Titan,\" retirement is almost an inevitable outcome. Yet, in the world of boxing, there are winners and losers; but in the struggle against fate, there are no losers. Behind the fierce battles in the ring, similar stories of two families reveal the tender affection characteristic of men and fathers.

Last March, Wilde and Ortiz had a fight. At that time, despite being badly hurt in the seventh round, Wilder managed to overwhelm the Cuban veteran in the tenth round; the whole encounter was truly thrilling. Now that the two are meeting again, many people were surprised before the match, as the contract for the first game did not include any clause requiring a second match. If he were smarter, Wilder should definitely take on more significant opponents: such as waiting for the winner of the fight between Joshua and Ruiz, or preparing earlier for a final showdown with Tyson Fury (in a fight that ends in a draw). Fighting Otis again, who has the ability to decide the match in one blow, is risky and not cost-effective. “I know Luis Ortiz has a sick child, and I have a child like that as well, so I decided to give him a chance to take care of his child. I know how much it costs to take care of a child with a disability; no one forced me to fight him – if you look closely, you’ll understand. Otis is the most feared boxer in the world of boxing. I wish him well, not only because he is a great fighter but also for his family. “I bless his family…” Wilder gave this explanation for choosing to play a second round earlier this month.

After arriving in Las Vegas, Ortiz also shared his thoughts in an interview: “I am Cuban. I came to the United States for two reasons: one is to cure my daughter’s illness, and the other is to become the world heavyweight boxing champion.” ”

Otiz brought his daughter Lis Mercedes to the United States when she was 4 years old, in order to get her treatment. Lis Mercedes suffers from congenital epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin disease that, in severe cases, can affect any part of the body – such as nail loss, difficulty swallowing, bone atrophy, and large areas of skin damage. Many children with this condition die before the age of 2, and there is currently no specific treatment for it.

Ottis has to continuously pay high medical expenses to treat his daughter, which is perhaps also why he remains active in boxing at the age of 40. At the beginning of this year, staff members from Cuba’s boxing team even revealed that Ortiz’s actual age was 48 years old; he had altered his age in order to be able to represent Cuba’s team in international competitions. What kind of power is this? If Otis kept punching all his life for his daughter, then Wilde stepped into the ring for his daughter as well.

Wilde’s hometown, the small town of Tuscaloosa, is located along the Black Warrior River in Alabama. With a population of only 100,000 people, it is home to one of the most famous college football teams in the United States. With his outstanding physical abilities, Wilde was a star in both the football and basketball teams in high school; he went to Alabama University, played in the NCAA, and then made it to the professional league… It was almost a clear path leading to the pinnacle of his career. However, his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy caused his life path to take a different direction. To support his girlfriend and the child on the way, Wilde had to drop out of school and work full-time to earn money. He had three jobs at the same time, preparing to become a family head; at that time he was still just a young man, but worse things were yet to happen to him. Before his girlfriend went into labor, the doctors informed Wilde that the baby to be born suffered from spina bifida, a condition that cannot be cured at present; upon birth, the child would require specialized caregivers for long-term treatment, otherwise there was a risk of paralysis.

Working part-time is not enough to support a daughter with congenital spina bifida; Wilde did not go on to college, which meant he had little chance of eventually getting involved in the NBA or NFL. For a person who is over 2 meters tall and possesses outstanding athletic talent, it seems that professional boxing is the only way to make a lot of money. At least that’s what Wilde thought at the time. But a 19-year-old who has never been exposed to boxing is simply an anomaly in the eyes of experts. In fact, even to this day, Wilde’s technique remains relatively rough, yet he boasts an impressive knockout record of 41 wins, 1 draw, and 40 KOs. When talking about Wilder, the coaching mentor Deas always emphasizes over and over again: “Every time he steps into the ring, it seems like he’s determined to give it his all.” ” Indeed, Wilde had no other choice; back then, he had to take risks in order to support his small family. Outside of working, he trained tirelessly, and it took him only 21 amateur competitions to earn the opportunity to represent the United States at the Beijing Olympics. He won an Olympic bronze medal in 2008, but that was far from enough. Velder needed money, and three months after the Olympics he stepped into the professional boxing ring. The rest of the story is well known: Velder kept the promise he made on the day his daughter was born – to become a world boxing champion.

They are the most terrifying fighters in boxing today (Veldhuis with 41 wins, 40 of them by KO; Otis had a record of 31 wins and 26 KOs before facing Veldhuis), and they are also the greatest fathers who have to balance their battles with illness against their responsibilities as parents to their daughters.

Wilder’s words were filled with respect: “Otis is the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced. Everyone says he’s old, but no one dares to challenge him.” ”Otis also responded sincerely: \"Vilder is the best boxer in over 10 years, not only in the heavyweight division; he’s like me when I was young, and just like me, he only fights against the best.\" ”

In this match, Wilder will receive a guaranteed fee of $3 million, while his opponent Ortiz will get $1.5 million. If the dividends from PPV are included, the two of them will also receive a substantial amount of income. In fact, due to Ortiz’s Cuban heritage and entering professional boxing at a late age (lacking the age advantage and thus having low commercial value), his fight fees have always been low; his only two matches that paid over a million dollars were against Wilder. With this loss, Otis may never be able to realize his dream of becoming a boxing champion, but everyone will remember him for having fought in the greatest battle of his life alongside Wilder.