Ortuz Gearing Up For Another Tough War in Hammond

Chicago cruiserweight fighter Dimar "Strongman" Ortuz is in heavy preparations for another tough war, this one on Thanksgiving Eve at Hitz Boxing's "Fight Night at the Horseshoe" boxing event on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. The undefeated (5-0, 3 KOs) 31-year-old Ortuz wowed Horseshoe fans last August with his savage battle against then-undefeated (8-0) Donta Woods, grinding Woods down and dropping him twice in an eight-round thriller. And now he is back in the co-featured bout, taking on UFC veteran and undefeated power-punching fellow Chicago native Terry Martin (5-0, 5 KOs). To put it mildly, this fight has explosive written all over it. "He called me out!" explained Ortuz of the dangerous match-up. "I heard through everybody that he wanted this, so it's on. I don't back down from any challenge." Ortuz, who took eight years off boxing after winning the Chicago Golden Gloves in 2002, has had an added obstacle to face in preparation for this fight. "I tore my calf muscle about three weeks ago which took me out for a week and a half. I'm slowly getting back into the pace of it, building up cardio to make up for the time I spent off. I'm also doing a lot more running up and down stairs, rebuilding the strength in my calf. I'll be fine." Ortuz says he and Martin are former sparring partners and although he is careful to never seem arrogant, when asked who got the better he replied: "I know he's got a hard hook and a good inside game and he holds a lot, but I present a difficult style to a lot of fighters. A lot of guys have difficulty sparring me. Put it that way." Ortuz intended to relocate to New York City, but had such a great experience at the Horseshoe in his last fight, he's decided to postpone. "I sat down and talked to Bobby (Hitz) about leaving and what he can do for me, and I decided to give Bobby a shot and test the waters. If I don't have to go far from home to fight as much as I want, why go? New York was an option because they had fights scheduled for me throughout the year and I'm looking to fight around eight times a year. Bobby does lots of shows, so he can probably keep me busy." A hard-nosed throwback type of fighter who brings relentless pressure, Ortuz says he's not sure how the fight will unfold. "My trainer, Sam Colonna, was also Terry's trainer, so that's an advantage. We've been working on a game plan. Sam knows a lot of his weaknesses and we've worked on targeting some of them. I won't say I'll get the KO because anybody who goes in saying they'll KO someone is too confident. I'm going to box. I didn't expect to put Donta Woods down and I put him down twice. I'll keep doing what I do. I'm just going to give it all I can for six rounds and really go after him." ### In the night's eight-round main event, Hitz will unveil his new heavyweight contender, Andrey Fedosov (22-2, 18 KOs) the former WBC Youth Heavyweight Champion from Shuya, Russia. In his Horseshoe debut, Fedosov will face comebacking former NABA Champion "Rockin" Rodney Moore (17-6-2, 7 KOs) from Houston, Texas. In another notable six-round encounter, Chicago (via Lithuania) middleweight slugger Donatas Bondorovas (15-3-1, 4 KOs) will take on Evansville, Indiana's "King" David Thomas (10-2-2, 8 KOs). The huge undercard (12 bouts are scheduled in total) will feature such popular local names as promising super middleweight prospect Mike "Hollywood" Jimenez (7-0, 4 KOs), who will go six rounds, and Pacquiao sparring partner and undefeated knockout sensation Abdulai "The Classiq" Amidu (20-0, 17 KOs) also going six. Also featured will be four-round fights for Frankie "Time Bomb" Scalise (4-1, 4 KOs), Genaro Mendez (4-1, 3 KOs), kickboxing and Golden Gloves champ Simon "The Punisher" Buettner (2-0, 2 KOs), Russell "Rocky" Fiore (6-2-1, 6 KOs) and, making their pro-debuts, "Irish" Jimmy Murphy and Jonathan Manos.     Complete match-ups will be announced shortly. The high-class atmosphere and luxurious surroundings the Horseshoe has to offer make their boxing shows a Las Vegas-style night of boxing that Chicago-area fans don't have to get on a plane to enjoy.    The Horseshoe Casino has an intimate, comfortable venue with luxurious seats, a spectacular gaming area, free parking, exquisite food and all the amenities -- and is just 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago. Tickets are priced at $90 Ringside & $40 Orchestra and available at all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com. Please Note Early Start Time: On fight night, doors open 6:00 pm and the action starts at 7:00. All bouts are subject to change.

Strongman Ortuz Looking for a Challenge on Saturday

Undefeated Chicago cruiserweight fighter Dimar "Strongman" Ortuz had all but forgotten his boxing career. Since winning the Chicago Golden Gloves in 2002, Ortuz been away from the game for eight years, ballooned to 260 lbs, successfully battled a drinking problem and become a hard-working father of three. "Pops, why don't you fight again?" Ortuz recalls one of his children asking in November 2010, while looking at old pictures. "I said ok, let me try one fight.'" Two years later, Ortuz has lost 60 pounds and gone on to turn professional, scoring four victories, three by knockout. "It's addictive," he explains. Ortuz will take a voluntary major step up in competition when he faces former highly decorated amateur and fellow undefeated fighter Donta Woods (8-0, 7 KOs) from Atlanta, Georgia, in a six-round cruiserweight battle. The pair will meet in one of the featured bouts of Hitz Boxing's latest "Fight Night at the Horseshoe" instalment, this Saturday, August 18 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. "It's time for me to step up. I'm 31 and if I keep on fighting too easy competition, it'll take me longer than I want to get where I want. If I hand-pick my opponents. I'll be 20-0 in no time, but I want better competition to challenge myself." Ortuz says he's aware that Woods won several national championships and competed internationally for the United States. "He had a pretty good amateur career and I heard he's pretty good and fast, but nothing intimidating for me. I've sparred over 300 rounds with the best guys in the city. I helped Andrzej Fonfara get ready for Glen Johnson. I helped Carlos Molina get ready for James Kirkland. I just finished helping Donovan George get ready for his fight Friday. I figure it's time to step up my competition a little bit and see where I'm at." "We offered Dimar opponents who were less of a challenge and he wouldn't hear of it," said promoter Bobby Hitz. "He was determined to take on Woods and for that, you have to take your hat off to the guy. More fighters should take a page from his book. I'm impressed and I would definitely buy a ticket for this fight." Ortuz is due some credit. In an age of paper champions and manufactured reputations, he is not looking for any easy roads. Perhaps he can attribute that to his tough upbringing on the streets of Chicago in the gang-infested neighborhood of Humboldt Park. "I had a lot of close calls living there. It's a real big Latin King neighborhood. A lot of people get stuck there in the gangs and with their friends and never leave. Boxing took me out of that. Sam Colonna (Ortuz's trainer to this day) took me out of that when I was young. I was hanging out and doing bad stuff.  I started travelling with Sam and fighting around and he showed me that there's a bigger world out there than just the neighborhood." Ortuz says if all goes well, he' planning to relocate to New York, where boxing happens more often and even more high-quality sparring can be found. "It's never too late. The ultimate goal is to drop down to light heavyweight and try to get myself in there with a few bigger names and give it all I can. I want what everybody wants: that belt around my waist. I just want to put my mind at rest that I did everything I could. That's the reason I took this tough fight." ### In the main event, Chicago's WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight Champion and WBA #14 rated "Fast" Fres Oquendo (34-7, 22 KOs) will face Philadelphia veteran Robert "Big Philly" Hawkins (23-19, 7 KOs). The main supporting bout will feature an all-Chicago six-round super middleweight matchup between Mike "Kujo" Kurzeja (5-0-1, 4 KOs) and capable puncher Gerald Taylor (5-3-2, 2 KOs). The winner of this fight will be awarded with the inaugural WSBC "Over 40" trophy. Welterweight KO artist Abdullai Amidu (19-0, 17 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, will finally make his Horseshoe Casino debut against Chicago's Jermaine "Too Sweet" White (17-5, 9 KOs) in a six-rounder. Undefeated heavyweight power puncher David Martin III (6-0, 5 KOs) of Hobart, Indiana, will face Kentucky's Joshua Clark (1-1, 1 KO) in a six-rounder. Former world-title challenger Johnny "Bad Boy" Lewus (26-4-1, 21 KOs) of Chicago is scheduled for a six-round welterweight scrap vs. Veracruz, Mexico's Hugo "Guapo" Guarneros (3-10-1, 2 KOs). After a 12-year layoff, wildly popular Bridgeport native Frankie "Time Bomb" Scalise (3-1, 3 KOs) returns to the ring in a four-round lightweight bout against rugged veteran Randy Ronchi of Wisconsin. And in a surprisingly tough six-round super middleweight bout, popular crowd-pleaser Paul Littleton (4-0, 4 KOs) of Chicago will take on Lafayette, Indiana's Darnell Wilson (9-1-2, 7 KOs). Littleton will have his work cut out for him. Wilson's only career loss came against current light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson. Other scheduled action includes former world kickboxing and Golden Gloves boxing champion Simon "The Punisher" Buettner (1-0, 1 KO) of Carpentersville, Illinois, in a light heavyweight four-rounder against Mukwonago, Wisconsin's Mike Reiter (0-2). The high-class atmosphere and luxurious surroundings the Horseshoe has to offer make their boxing shows a Las Vegas-style night of boxing that Chicago-area fans don't have to get on a plane to enjoy.  The Horseshoe Casino has an intimate, comfortable venue with luxurious seats, a spectacular gaming area, free parking, exquisite food and all the amenities -- and is just 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago. Tickets are priced at $90 Ringside & $40 Orchestra and available at all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com. All bouts are subject to change. On fight night, doors open 6:30 pm and the action starts at 7:30.

May 25 Fight Night at the Horseshoe Heating Up! Martin to Face Woods in Cruiserweight Slugfest

Hitz Boxing's blockbuster Fight Night at the Hammond event, scheduled for May 25 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, just got even more exciting with the announcement of the co-featured bout. 31-year-old Chicago native and UFC, Strikeforce, Affliction and King of the Cage MMA star Terry Martin (5-0, 5 KOs) will roll the boxing dice and put his perfect undefeated record on the line against Atlanta, Georgia's also undefeated Donta Woods (8-0, 7 KOs) in an explosive cruiserweight six-rounder. The two power punchers will meet as the main supporting bout to the 10-round WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight Championship main event between "Fast" Fres Oquendo (33-7, 21 KOs) and Joey "Minnesota Ice" Abell (28-5, 27 KOs). Martin holds Bachelor of Science degree, a Master's Degree, and is working toward a PhD., and also frequently visits schools, churches and community centers to speak to young people about the value of staying in school. An impressive 22-9 in MMA, hammer-fisted Martin stands 5' 8" and packs power in both hands. Woods enjoyed a long and successful amateur career, competing internationally and winning the 2005 Ringside National Championships, among many other distinctions. He stands 6' 2" and has an especially impressive body attack. "Someone's 0 will go and probably by a knockout in this fight," said event promoter, Bobby Hitz of Hitz Boxing. "When power punchers like these two meet up, it's always a treat for the fans and we're happy they have both agreed to fight." Also on the undercard: Mike "Hollywood" Jimenez (6-0, 3 KOs) will go six rounds against Everett, Washington's Adrian Hermann (3-3-1, 1 KO); undefeated power puncher David Martin III (5-0, 4 KOS) of Hobart, Indiana, will face Tim Washington (0-1) of Toledo, Ohio, in a heavyweight four-rounder; undefeated heavyweight David "Diesel" Latoria (10-0, 5 KOS) will go six against Gary, Indiana's Stanley Allen (5-3, 3 KOs); nearby Chesterton, Indiana, heavyweight Philip Triantafillo (2-0, 1 KO) will fight a four-rounder against the more experienced Emerson Chasing Bear (4-3-2, 3 KOs) of Rapid City, South Dakota. The opponent for light welterweight Genaro Mendez's (4-1-1, 3 KOS) six-round fight is still TBA. The high-class atmosphere and luxurious surroundings the Horseshoe has to offer make their boxing shows a Las Vegas-style night of boxing that Chicago-area fans don't have to get on a plane to enjoy.   The Horseshoe Casino has an intimate, comfortable venue with luxurious seats, a spectacular gaming area, free parking, exquisite food and all the amenities -- and is just 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago.  Tickets for "Fight Night at the Horseshoe" are on sale now, starting at a fan appreciation price of $10, and are available atthe "Venue" box office, ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.