In heavyweight boxing, one punch can change everything, and that certainly was the case Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
It looked like the curtain was slowly falling on the career of Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz after being sent to the canvas twice by Charles Martin. Still, the 42-year-old turned the tables and knocked out the former world champion in round six to secure the victory.
An overhand left from Martin sent Ortiz down in the first before a counter jab in round four saw the Cuban on the ring floor once again.
Ortiz then went on the offensive in round six.
The man known as 'King Kong' threw a double jab followed by an overhand left which stunned Martin and left the southpaw an easy target for Ortiz.
Martin collapsed and found himself tied up in the ropes, which spelled the beginning of the end for the former IBF champion. Ortiz then went to work on the American, focusing on the body before an uppercut put Martin down for a second time and brought the bout to an end at 1:37 in the sixth.
This was Ortiz's second successive win after being knocked out by Deontay Wilder in 2019, and he is now the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk's IBF title.
There was also a win for promising heavyweight Frank Sanchez, who beat late replacement Christian Hammer via unanimous decision.