LUIS ORTIZ: THE NEXT GREAT CUBAN HEAVYWEIGHT

By Sharon Robb

The journey from Cuba doesn’t always end with title fights and million dollar contracts for its world-class amateur boxers.

When Luis Ortiz left Cuba eight months ago, he knew there were no guarantees when he landed in Miami. Yet he was willing to leave his 2-year-old daughter Liz Mercedes to make a better life for his family through pro boxing.

Ortiz, who signed a promotional contract with The Heavyweight Factory and lives in Kendall, will be featured in the co-main event on the August 17th Rise of the Heavyweights card at Hard Rock Live.

With 362 amateur fights and 2-0 pro record, both knockouts, the lefthander is on the fast track and could be the next great heavyweight from Cuba.

Ortiz is attempting to follow in the hallowed footsteps of Cuban heavyweight greats Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, who never left the small Caribbean nation of just over 11 million people to pursue pro boxing.

Cuba has won 32 gold medals in Olympic competition since 1972 but doesn’t allow pro boxing, forcing several boxers to defect for greener pastures. In Cuba, boxers earn little more than $25 a month but are treated as national heroes and often enjoy state-bestowed privileges such as a car or house.

President Fidel Castro’s government regards the top boxers, along with other star athletes, as supreme products of its socialist sports system.

At 31, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Ortiz is one of the best-kept secrets in the U.S. Still, he is regarded by many as one of the best products to come out of Cuba. When he arrived in South Florida, he resumed training immediately at the Professional Fighting Center near Tamiami Airport.

“As soon as he got here he started boxing,” said Anibal Pedroso, a close friend and hip hop artist who walks in with Ortiz before his pro fights. “Cuban boxers are great and he is the greatest. I think he is the next Muhammad Ali.

“This is a huge opportunity for him and I believe he is going to make it happen,” Pedroso said. “He has been doing his thing little by little. People don’t know him yet because he is not that big yet. But he will be known.”

Ortiz is known as “The Mercedes.” “That’s his mom’s name and plus he likes that car and he wants one when he makes it,” Pedroso said. “I think it will take him a year to get there. For his size he is quick and has the technique. I think he is something the heavyweight division needs.”

Ortiz said he knew he was going to make it in boxing at age 18 when he got to spar Savon, one of the all-time heavyweight greats.

With a 343-19 amateur record, Ortiz took a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships and gold medal two years later. But it was that one shining moment with Savon he treasures. In his heyday, Savon beat every single amateur contender including David Tua, Sultan Ibragimov, Shannon Briggs and Lamon Brewster.

“I held my own against him and he respected me for that,” said Ortiz who was trained by legendary Cuban boxing coach Alcides Sagarra for seven years on the national team. “He never dropped me. There were no knockouts. I was a boy fighting a hero. I was a new boxer but I was faster than him. I couldn’t hit him because he was fast, too.”

Ortiz has the physical talent, strength, movement, speed and power to get to the next level.

“It is a privilege to be a Cuban fighter, there is the best schools in Cuba for boxers,” Ortiz said. “They have had some of the biggest names in boxing all around the world.

“Now that I am in pro boxing I want to accomplish the same thing. The big people are over here. I always wanted to accomplish this big dream inside of me and that’s to be the champion of the world.”

Of course, growing up in Cuba as a boxer brings high expectations and pressure.

“I only follow my heart,” Ortiz said. “The pressure I have is the pressure I put on myself.

“It has always been my dream to be a great boxer,” Ortiz said. “I have been dreaming this since I started when I was 11. I had a chance in Cuba but it was so political. They loved some other boxers and put me to the side even though I was the best. They didn’t realize I was the one.”

The experience of having nearly 400 fights as an amateur boxer has helped him rise quickly in the pro ranks.

“In my mind every fight is important to me, the next fight is more important then the next and the next,” Ortiz said. “I don’t want anything fast, I want everything for sure. I will be happy when I have my daughter next to me when I am champion.”