Alexander Ustinov wins purse bid in proposed bout with Luis Ortiz
Luis Ortiz lost a chance to be a part of Canelo’s Sept. 17 undercard on HBO PPV and he’s also likely dropped an opportunity to have his potential fight with Alexander Ustinov close to home.
The Cuban heavyweight who now lives in South Florida lost a purse bid on Monday to Belarus’ Ustinov. Russian promoter Andrey Ryabinsky won the promotional rights with an unopposed offer of $600,000. He was represented on Monday at the WBA’s offices in Panama by Vlad Hrunov, who is involved with Ustinov.
Ortiz’s promoter, Golden Boy, was a no-show at the WBA’s offices and are currently trying to mend their relationship with the undefeated heavyweight. A deal was in place for Ortiz, who holds a secondary title, to face Ustinov on Sept. 17 as the co-feature to Canelo Alvarez’s junior middleweight title fight with Liam Smith.
But the fight collapsed over a reported promotional dispute. Eric Gomez, VP of Golden Boy, didn’t immediately return a call for comment. Ortiz’s manager, Jay Jiminez also wasn’t available for comment.