Luis Ortiz climbs off the canvas TWICE to knock Charles Martin out in Florida as the American’s hopes of reclaiming his heavyweight title suffer a major blow
- Luis Ortiz rose off the canvas twice to defeat heavyweight rival Charles Martin
- Martin, 35, is bidding to reclaim his title and took on Ortiz in an IBF eliminator
- The American started fast and floored the veteran Cuban on two occasions
- However, Ortiz rallied and secured victory with a blistering sixth round in Florida
Charles Martin’s bid to reclaim his heavyweight title suffered a devastating blow as Luis Ortiz twice rose off the canvas to knockout the former champion in their IBF title eliminator.
The veteran Cuban, 42, caught Martin, 35, with a big overhand left in the sixth round of a back-and-forth contest in Florida, which badly hurt Prince and led to his defeat.
Martin will be left to rue his inability to finish the contest early, having dominated in the opening exchanges of the bout and flooring the wily Cuban on two separate occasions.
Charles Martin’s bid to reclaim his heavyweight crown suffered a huge blow in Florida
The 35-year-old former IBF heavyweight champion was knocked out by veteran Luis Ortiz
The 35-year-old was winning the battle of the jabs with his stinging right leaving Ortiz with no answer, but the 42-year-old dug in and ensured his booming left hand stopped the American in his tracks in the sixth round.
Martin willfully returned to his feet, but Ortiz was not letting up and floored the former champion once again.
The American was unable to beat the ten-count and the fight was stopped, with Ortiz proving once again that he is still capable of challenging at the top of the division despite his ageing years.
The Cuban weathered an early storm to floor his American rival in the sixth of 12 rounds
Martin was unable to recover after being knocked down for a second time in the sixth round
This fight was an IBF title eliminator with Martin occupying the No 1 spot ahead of the bout. Ortiz’s victory places him in a strong position to face the winner of Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua II later this year.
Ortiz has lost just twice in his 37-fight career, on both occasions to former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Martin is best-remembered for losing his IBF title in embarrassing fashion to Joshua in 2016. His reign was the second-shortest for a heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.
‘Charles desperately wants to fight and KO Joshua before he retires. He’s been focused on that singular goal since 2016 – it’s what motivates him and it’s the reason why he will beat Luiz Ortiz,’ his manager. Mike Borao said last month.
‘Charles will do whatever it takes to become two-time heavyweight champion, including fighting a second IBF eliminator against one of the most avoided heavyweights in the world.’
Martin had been hoping to return to the top of the division after losing to Anthony Joshua