By Reynaldo Sanchez

Undefeated Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz 21-0-0 (18 KO's) held a rigorous 35-minute sparring session on Tuesday as part of his training for the upcoming bout with fellow unbeaten Lateef Kayode 20-0-0 (16 KO's) of Nigeria. The two will battle for the vacant WBA interim-heavyweight title on September 11th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

"These long sessions are part of the program we are doing with Ortiz. We are pleased with what Luis did this afternoon. He kept the pace and power at all times and that will improve his stamina," said coach Herman Caicedo.

"Luis is training like never before. This fight against a strong contender like Kayode is the biggest fight of his career. We will go to Las Vegas to expose to all the boxing fans why Luis Ortiz will be the next world champion very soon," said his adviser Jay Jimenez.

"This fight means a lot to all of us. I do very strong workouts because it is the best way to show respect for Kayode. I'll be ready on September 11th and I hope Kayode’s ready too. It will be a tough fight, but I trust in myself and the strong work in the gym because this is where you earn fights," said Ortiz.

"We are going to have a lot of rounds [of sparring] in order to prepare for a twelve round fight, but if I have an opportunity [to go for a knockout] I will take advantage of it and try to finish the fight before the [final bell]."