Deontay Wilder is one step closer to his goal of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world

Deontay Wilder is one step closer to his goal of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after registering a dramatic 10th-round knockout of Luis Ortiz at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night.

His next stop on that journey will be ringside at the heavyweight title unification match between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on March 31. Wilder will be working as an analyst for Sky Sports.

Now that he’s done his part, Wilder will get a chance to see who will complete the other part of the undisputed heavyweight title puzzle.

Wilder completed his task in spectacular fashion before an electrified crowd of 14,069—the second largest crowd to watch a boxing match at Barclays Center. The seesaw battle saw Wilder drop and nearly stop Ortiz in the fifth round, only to see Ortiz roar back and batter Wilder in the seventh round—before Wilder finally took out the Cuban southpaw in the 10th.  Wilder handed Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) the first loss of his professional career.

It was Wilder’s seventh straight knockout in defense of the WBC title he won in a 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne in 2015. It was his 39th knockout in 40 fights and after stopping Stiverne on a first round KO on Nov. 4 Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) has stopped every man he’s ever faced in the ring as a professional.

“Ortiz puts good combinations together and hit me with clean shots, but I didn’t go down,” Wilder said. “I was a little buzzed, but I adjusted, which is the perfect example of a champion’s heart and mindset.”

“It’s a dangerous sport, but I believe in myself, my heart and my power. Beating Luis Ortiz shows there’s nobody with the skill set to beat me. My goal is to unify the division, proving to the world that I’m the best. This definitely solidified my position as the baddest man on the planet at the top of the food chain.”

“ I’ve done enough calling Joshua out. How many times do I have to do that? I am the blockage and the end of the line for his career and he knows it. That’s scary for him. ” Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder

Wilder and Joshua have both been battle tested in the ring by top-rated heavyweights. Joshua survived being dropped in the sixth round by Wladimir Klitschko to go on and score an 11th round TKO victory at Wembley Stadium in London last April.

“Ortiz was undefeated. Klitschko was already dethroned and coming off of almost a two-year layoff,’’ Wilder said. “I’ve done enough calling Joshua out. How many times do I have to do that? I am the blockage and the end of the line for his career and he knows it. That’s scary for him.”

Wilder dismissed the notion that Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, would be more open to facing him based on a perceived vulnerability against Ortiz.

Wilder questioned Joshua’s dominance during his last fight in October, a 10th-round TKO of the nearly 6-foot-2 Carlos Takam, who held his own despite being cut over his right eye and dropped in the fourth by Joshua—who weighed a career-high 254-pounds, surpassing the 250 he weighed for Klitschko.

“[Joshua] knows he’s gonna lose one day, and that it’s going to be against me. I know I’m going to knock him out. He’ll show courage until he runs out of gas,” said Wilder.

“Then it’s life and death for him. Once he’s tired, I see him giving up. Once that happens, I’m going to turn up the heat on him and it’s a wrap. They may throw in the towel.”

For a complete recap of Wilder vs Ortiz, visit our fight page.