Luis Ortiz cleans Charles Martin’s clock in round 6 via TKO

It only took Luis Ortiz one punch to turn his luck around against Charles Martin. He remains a top-tier heavyweight boxing contender. 

The new year started off poorly for heavyweight boxing contender Luis Ortiz. He had a tough time with former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin on Jan. 1, but his power bailed him out of trouble in a big way.

Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) came into his matchup with Martin with only two losses on his record. Both were knockouts to Deontay Wilder, but Ortiz was in both fights before the stoppages.

Martin (28-3-1, 25 KOs) had to claw his way back up the heavyweight rankings. Losses to Anthony Joshua and Adam Kownacki stalled his career, but his one-punch KO of Gerald Washington in February 2020 earned him a significant contest against Ortiz. Martin was making the most of the moment, but a single mistake cost him dearly.

Luis Ortiz pulled a rabbit out of his hat by stopping Charles Martin in round 6 after getting knocked down twice earlier in the fight

Ortiz looked all of his 42 years of age early. Martin dropped Ortiz in round 1 with a solid left hand to the side of the head. Ortiz took it well, but it was a bad sign.

In round 4, Ortiz lept straight into a Martin right jab that leveled Ortiz. It was a power jab, but not a shot that should have dropped Ortiz. His legs looked weary, and his age was a factor. Fortunately, Ortiz’s power is still intact.

Martin was boxing well using his jab, but he’s a tall target who doesn’t move his shoulders much. In round 6, Ortiz timed Martin and caught him with a left to the head that had Martin out on his feet. Martin dropped his hands in a stupor and ate several more left hands before giving up his back and falling face-forward into the ropes.

Martin’s left hand got caught in the ropes on his way down to the canvas. He made it to his feet, but his senses were gone. Ortiz kept up his attack, and Martin again went down. The referee saw enough and stopped the fight giving Ortiz the round 6 TKO victory.

After the fight, Martin made his way over to Ortiz and called the end result BS, which prompted Ortiz to push Martin forcefully. Eventually, tempers calmed, and Ortiz and Martin embraced in resolution.

Ortiz looked flat, but he can still punch. He’s an old fighter who is fun to watch but would likely fall against the top heavyweights in the world. He should get a chance at the premier heavyweights, but that could spell his end based on his uneven performance against Martin.