The heavyweight division got a fresh knockout action when top heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz scored a sixth-round TKO of former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
The dramatic back-and-forth affair, an IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator showdown, headlined a Fox Sports PBC pay-per-view. The fight was live from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
King Kong Returns
Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) recovered from two knockdowns to earn the TKO over the former heavyweight titleholder Martin (28-3-1, 25 KOs). The fight got off to a hot start in round 1, with Martin landing a bruising left hand to the side of Ortiz’s head that sent him down late in the frame.
While Ortiz was able to regain his composure and do effective bodywork and snap his jab, Martin struck once again at the end of round 4 landing a stiff jab with his right hand that put Ortiz down for the second time in the fight.
“I was very focused during this fight,” said Ortiz. “I was never worried. My trainer just told me to keep working the jab and that’s what I was able to do.”
Rare Southpaw Showdown
In a battle of towering southpaws, Ortiz landed the left hand that ultimately decided the fight, connecting on a counter early in round 6 that immediately dazed Martin, who looked potentially out on his feet. Ortiz quickly followed up with a flurry and scored the knockdown, leaving Martin with his glove tied up in the ropes.
“It was very difficult going southpaw against southpaw,” said Ortiz. “At the end of the day, my intelligence won the fight.”
Martin rose to his feet and looked to hold on with over two minutes left in the round, but Ortiz was relentless in his attack and eventually forced referee Frank Santore Jr. to wave off the bout 1:37 into round 6.
The Big Comeback
Ortiz trailed on all three scorecards coming into the final round. However, he landed impressively 57 percent power punches in the fight, including 19 of 23 in round 6, according to CompuBox.
To find out more about Luis Ortiz and the first big heavyweight boxing match of 2022, click here.
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