Deontay Wilder paces the ring before a boxing bout against Bermane Stiverne for the WBC heavyweight title Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in New York. Wilder knocked out Stiverne in the first round. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen)
NEW YORK — WBC heavyweight championship Deontay Wilder is set to meet unbeaten Luis Ortiz on March 3 at Barclays Center.
Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) is coming off a first-round knockout of Bermane Stiverne in November. He and Ortiz were initially supposed to fight on that card, but the Cuban was scratched because of a positive drug test.
This will be Wilder’s seventh title defense. Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs) is being billed as his toughest opponent.
Wilder has had impressive wins at Barlays, including the knockout of Stiverne and a 2016 knockout of Artur Szpilka.
Before the first scheduled bout, Ortiz was found to have taken two banned diuretics that are often used as masking agents for steroids.
The event is part of Premier Boxing Champions.