Leotis Martin (June 17, 1939 – November 20, 1995) was an American boxer, the first ever NABF heavyweight champion and is best known for his victory over former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Martin was a good puncher and a fairly skilled heavyweight who fought from 1962 to 1969. He compiled a record of 31 wins (19 KOs) and 5 losses and in 2003 was named on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His career, however, was marked by inconsistency and bad luck.
Martin was the 1960 Chicago and Intercity Golden Gloves 160-pound champion and the 1961 160-pound Intercity Golden Gloves Champion (alternate). He also was the United States National AAU 165-pound champion in 1960 and 1961.
Professional career
From February 1964, when Martin fought on the Liston-Clay world heavyweight championship fight undercard, to June 1967, Martin fought 15 times without suffering a defeat. This winning streak qualified him for the WBA heavyweight elimination championship series, after the organization had stripped Muhammad Ali of its world heavyweight crown when he refused induction into the United States Army. But even this win streak was laced with hard luck, On May 10, 1965, he faced Sonny Banks, then one of only two fighters to have knocked Muhammad Ali down for a count. Martin scored a ninth-round knockout over Banks. Martin's jubilation was short lived. Banks never recovered from the blows he received during the fight and died from his injuries.
Although Martin was selected for the WBA title elimination tournament, he was matched, in his first fight, against the ultimate tournament winner Jimmy Ellis. The two fought in the HoustonAstrodome on August 5, 1967. Ellis, as was his style at the time, came out sharp, trying to score an early knockout with his sneaky-fast and dangerous right hand. Although unable to knock Martin out, Ellis inflicted on the inside of Martin's mouth a nasty cut, which ultimately caused the fight to be stopped in the ninth round. Scoring was around even at that point. Many had predicted Martin might win the elimination series. Martin had campaigned for a contest with fellow Philadelphian Joe Frazier, but it never happened — mainly due to Martin's loss to Bonavena, who got the Frazier match instead.
Martin rebounded from the Ellis defeat by traveling to Germany to knock out German and European heavyweight champion Karl Mildenberger in seven rounds. Martin appeared to be back in contention for a title shot when he dropped a decision to California heavyweight Henry Clark (record 14-3-2). He then came back from that defeat to upset and knock out Thad Spencer in nine rounds. His title quest, however, again was derailed when Martin travelled to Argentina to meet Oscar Bonavena in his home town of Buenos Aires, where he lost by decision. Bonavena went on to fight Frazier for the world title.
After the Bonavena loss, Martin put together a four-fight win streak, including two wins over Detroit hometown favorite Al "Blue" Lewis. These fine efforts landed him a match with veteran former champion Sonny Liston on December 6, 1969. Liston had resumed boxing after his two stunning losses to Muhammad Ali, and had run off a winning streak of 14 fights with 13 knockouts. Although slowed by age, Liston was still a feared heavyweight.
Martin, who formerly had been Liston's sparring partner, devised a simple fight plan. Rather than attempting to slug with the bigger and heavier Liston, Martin stayed away from him, boxing and waiting for the older man to tire. Despite a close call in the fourth round when Liston caught him with a booming left hook that knocked Martin down, Martin seemed to get stronger with every passing round while Liston weakened. Finally, in the ninth round, Martin hit Liston with a powerful combination that knocked the former champion out. Fate, however, double-crossed Martin once again. He had suffered a detached retina during the fight, and was forced to retire before he could capitalize on the biggest win of his career.
After boxing
For the next 26 years Martin lived a quiet life in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Early in 1995 he retired from Budd & Co. after 31 years as a machinist. In November that year Martin had a stroke brought on by hypertension and complications from diabetes, and died en route to a local hospital, aged 56.
Martin's death received little coverage in the boxing media.
Won vacant NABF heavyweight title. Martin was knocked down in round 4 and behind on points when he KOed Liston with a vicious right. Martin was forced to retire shortly afterwards, as he suffered a detached retina in this bout.
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Leotis Martin June 17 1939 November 20 1995 was an American boxer the first ever NABF heavyweight champion and is best known for his victory over former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston Martin was a good puncher and a fairly skilled heavyweight who fought from 1962 to 1969 He compiled a record of 31 wins 19 KOs and 5 losses and in 2003 was named on The Ring s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time His career however was marked by inconsistency and bad luck Leotis MartinStatisticsReal nameLeotis MartinNickname s Otis LeeWeight s HeavyweightHeight6 ft 0 1 2 in 1 84 m Reach76 in 193 cm Born 1939 03 10 March 10 1939Helena Arkansas U S DiedNovember 20 1995 1995 11 20 aged 56 Philadelphia PennsylvaniaStanceOrthodoxBoxing recordTotal fights36Wins31Wins by KO19Losses5Draws0 Contents 1 Amateur career 2 Professional career 3 After boxing 4 Professional boxing record 5 References 6 External linksAmateur career EditMartin was the 1960 Chicago and Intercity Golden Gloves 160 pound champion and the 1961 160 pound Intercity Golden Gloves Champion alternate He also was the United States National AAU 165 pound champion in 1960 and 1961 Professional career EditFrom February 1964 when Martin fought on the Liston Clay world heavyweight championship fight undercard to June 1967 Martin fought 15 times without suffering a defeat This winning streak qualified him for the WBA heavyweight elimination championship series after the organization had stripped Muhammad Ali of its world heavyweight crown when he refused induction into the United States Army But even this win streak was laced with hard luck On May 10 1965 he faced Sonny Banks then one of only two fighters to have knocked Muhammad Ali down for a count Martin scored a ninth round knockout over Banks Martin s jubilation was short lived Banks never recovered from the blows he received during the fight and died from his injuries Although Martin was selected for the WBA title elimination tournament he was matched in his first fight against the ultimate tournament winner Jimmy Ellis The two fought in the Houston Astrodome on August 5 1967 Ellis as was his style at the time came out sharp trying to score an early knockout with his sneaky fast and dangerous right hand Although unable to knock Martin out Ellis inflicted on the inside of Martin s mouth a nasty cut which ultimately caused the fight to be stopped in the ninth round Scoring was around even at that point Many had predicted Martin might win the elimination series Martin had campaigned for a contest with fellow Philadelphian Joe Frazier but it never happened mainly due to Martin s loss to Bonavena who got the Frazier match instead Martin rebounded from the Ellis defeat by traveling to Germany to knock out German and European heavyweight champion Karl Mildenberger in seven rounds Martin appeared to be back in contention for a title shot when he dropped a decision to California heavyweight Henry Clark record 14 3 2 He then came back from that defeat to upset and knock out Thad Spencer in nine rounds His title quest however again was derailed when Martin travelled to Argentina to meet Oscar Bonavena in his home town of Buenos Aires where he lost by decision Bonavena went on to fight Frazier for the world title After the Bonavena loss Martin put together a four fight win streak including two wins over Detroit hometown favorite Al Blue Lewis These fine efforts landed him a match with veteran former champion Sonny Liston on December 6 1969 Liston had resumed boxing after his two stunning losses to Muhammad Ali and had run off a winning streak of 14 fights with 13 knockouts Although slowed by age Liston was still a feared heavyweight Martin who formerly had been Liston s sparring partner devised a simple fight plan Rather than attempting to slug with the bigger and heavier Liston Martin stayed away from him boxing and waiting for the older man to tire Despite a close call in the fourth round when Liston caught him with a booming left hook that knocked Martin down Martin seemed to get stronger with every passing round while Liston weakened Finally in the ninth round Martin hit Liston with a powerful combination that knocked the former champion out Fate however double crossed Martin once again He had suffered a detached retina during the fight and was forced to retire before he could capitalize on the biggest win of his career After boxing EditFor the next 26 years Martin lived a quiet life in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia Early in 1995 he retired from Budd amp Co after 31 years as a machinist In November that year Martin had a stroke brought on by hypertension and complications from diabetes and died en route to a local hospital aged 56 Martin s death received little coverage in the boxing media Professional boxing record Edit31 Wins 19 knockouts 5 Losses 0 Draws 1 Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location NotesWin 31 5 Sonny Liston KO 9 12 06 12 1969 International Hotel amp Casino Las Vegas Won vacant NABF heavyweight title Martin was knocked down in round 4 and behind on points when he KOed Liston with a vicious right Martin was forced to retire shortly afterwards as he suffered a detached retina in this bout Win 30 5 Roger Russell UD 10 18 11 1969 Spectrum PhiladelphiaWin 29 5 Wendell Newton KO 7 10 28 10 1969 Blue Horizon PhiladelphiaWin 28 5 Alvin Lewis SD 10 26 02 1969 Detroit Olympia DetroitWin 27 5 Alvin Lewis TKO 9 10 26 11 1968 DetroitLoss 26 5 Oscar Bonavena UD 10 07 09 1968 Estadio Luna Park Buenos Aires ArgentinaWin 26 4 Thad Spencer TKO 9 10 28 05 1968 Royal Albert Hall Kensington London England United KingdomLoss 25 4 Henry Clark MD 10 27 04 1968 Coliseum Arena Oakland CaliforniaWin 25 3 Karl Mildenberger KO 7 12 05 04 1968 Festhalle Frankfurt GermanyLoss 24 3 Roger Russell SD 10 27 11 1967 Arena PhiladelphiaLoss 24 2 Jimmy Ellis TKO 9 12 05 08 1967 Astrodome Houston Elimination Tournament for WBA Heavyweight title Ellis Martin Bonavena Mildenberger vs Quarry Patterson Spencer Terrell Win 24 1 Billy Daniels PTS 10 06 06 1967 Toledo OhioWin 23 1 Lee Carr KO 2 10 29 05 1967 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 22 1 Ulric Regis TKO 5 10 29 05 1967 Port of Spain Trinidad and TobagoWin 21 1 Remington Dyanti TKO 3 10 26 02 1967 Baltiska Hallen Malmo Sweden Boxing News March 3 1967Win 20 1 Mariano Echevarria RTD 3 10 03 02 1967 Gothenburg Sweden Boxing News February 10 1967 Win 19 1 Roberto Davila PTS 10 22 12 1966 Lima PeruWin 18 1 Amos Johnson KO 3 10 05 12 1966 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 17 1 Von Clay PTS 8 06 12 1965 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 16 1 Curtis Bruce TKO 6 10 14 10 1965 PhiladelphiaWin 15 1 Sonny Banks KO 9 10 10 05 1965 Arena Philadelphia Banks dies of injuries sustained in this bout Win 14 1 Don Warner KO 1 19 04 1965 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 13 1 Earl Battles KO 3 29 03 1965 Philadelphia A C PhiladelphiaWin 12 1 Dave Bailey PTS 8 22 02 1965 Philadelphia A C PhiladelphiaWin 11 1 Dave Russell PTS 8 20 04 1964 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 10 1 Allan Harmon PTS 6 25 02 1964 Convention Hall Miami Beach FloridaLoss 9 1 Floyd McCoy KO 2 8 30 09 1963 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 9 0 Billy Johnson KO 1 22 07 1963 Convention Center Las VegasWin 8 0 Johnny Alford PTS 6 24 06 1963 Convention Hall Miami Beach FloridaWin 7 0 Frank Davis TKO 2 24 06 1963 Cambria A C Miami Beach FloridaWin 6 0 Monte Monnie McCoy TKO 4 6 13 04 1963 Arena PhiladelphiaWin 5 0 Buddy Moore PTS 6 05 02 1963 PhiladelphiaWin 4 0 Joe Washington PTS 6 18 12 1962 American Legion Arena Reading PennsylvaniaWin 3 0 German Hernandez KO 1 21 05 1962 PhiladelphiaWin 2 0 Bob Rutherford KO 4 23 04 1962 Alhambra A C PhiladelphiaWin 1 0 Bobby Warthem SD 4 26 01 1962 Kenwick Terrace Sarnia Ontario CanadaReferences Edit Archived copy Archived from the original on 2014 10 06 Retrieved 2011 05 09 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link External links EditBoxing record for Leotis Martin from BoxRec registration required Regional titlesNew title NABF Heavyweight ChampionDecember 6 1969 February 2 1970Retired VacantTitle next held byMuhammad Ali Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Leotis Martin amp oldid 1097673478, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
