The long-awaited result of the WBC's investigation into Luis Ortiz's failed drug test has come to a conclusion and the ruling is final: Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz is called off.
Instead, the WBC will now move forward with Wilder making his original mandatory defense against Bermane Stiverne on November 4 at the Barclays Center. The announcement came during the fourth day of the 55th annual WBC Convention alongside a number of announcements regarding the mandatory challenges for many of their champions.
Wilder and Stiverne were already fighting on that card, but Stiverne was supposed to fight Dominic Breazeale in a title eliminator. Breazeale is, for all intents and purposes, out of the November 4 card and promoter Eddie Hearn is now trying to book a fight between Stiverne and Dillian Whyte to be done at the Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev undercard on October 28.
Ortiz failed a VADA urine drug test conducted on September 22 at his training camp in Miami. The results came back late September 28, and Ortiz's "A" sample tested positive for the banned diuretics chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide, which are used to treat high blood pressure but also can be used as masking agents for performance-enhancing drug use.
Ortiz's status as the WBA's mandatory challenger to Joshua's heavyweight title is up in the air, but it is not hard to believe that the WBA may decide to replicate the WBC's ruling and not sanction a title fight between Joshua and Ortiz.
Wilder and Stiverne have fought each other once, in 2015, when Wilder defeated Stiverne to win the WBC title. Wilder has defended his title five times. Stiverne was named the mandatory challenger to Wilder's title several months ago, but negotiations took a long time to finalize before Wilder negotiated a step-aside deal that allowed Wilder to make the voluntary defense against Ortiz.
