Luis “King Kong” Ortiz has been removed as WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s mandatory challenger with the World Boxing Association, as the sanctioning body has banned him for 1 year until September 22, 2018.
The removal of Ortiz as Joshua’s WBA mandatory may ultimately have saved the British heavyweight from suffering his first loss. Joshua is looking very vulnerable right now. Ortiz might have had the goods to hand him his first loss of his career.
The move by the WBA to ban Ortiz for 1 year comes after his recent positive drug test for 2 banned drugs. Ortiz, 38, was tested by VADA while getting ready for his now canceled November 4 fight against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s not the end of the world for Ortiz though. He still keeps his rankings with the other sanctioning bodies, and he could very well get a title shot against either Wilder or Joshua in 2019, as long as he tests clean in the future tests by VADA. Ortiz will also need to keep winning, which isn’t for him to do, because he’s a very talented fighter.
The WBA plans on replacing Ortiz with another fighter Joshua’s mandatory.