Charles Martin was not without his moments to pull off a big upset on short notice.
The former IBF heavyweight titlist managed to briefly hurt Jared Anderson midway through their ten-round clash and again in the closing seconds. Anderson prevailed via well-earned unanimous decision atop a July 1 ESPN telecast from the Huntington Center in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio.
Martin was credited with being the first fighter to extend Anderson beyond the sixth round and to the scorecards. Still, the 37-year-old southpaw would have preferred the type of ending he’s produced when he had past opponents in similar trouble.
“He’s a crafty boxer,” Martin told ESPN’s Crystina Poncher during his in-ring post-fight interview. “Usually when I catch someone and hurt them, I can follow up and finish. If they fall, usually I can do damage and put them away.
“He’s like a little middleweight. The dude is as crafty as a motherf—–.”
Martin (29-4-1, 26KOs) accepted the fight on less than two weeks’ notice. He replaced Kazakhstan’s Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18KOs) was unable to secure a visa in time to travel for the event.
Anderson (15-0, 14KOs) floored the former titlist in the third round but was tagged and driven back in the fifth round of his first fight in his hometown and his debut as an ESPN main event. The 23-year-old rising contender regained control but ran into Martin’s power in the final seconds of the fight. Martin was given praise for providing the young gun with a stiff test, which he reluctantly accepted in lieu of an actual victory.
“I did the best I could,” noted Martin, who briefly held the IBF title in 2016. “He’s a real champion, I’m proud of him.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox