A Quick Study

Charles Martin entered boxing as a 19-year-old, tagging along to the gym for fun with the brothers of his first child’s mother.

“I learned how to move, move, move first. I was using the whole ring, sticking and moving. One day, I went to the gym and was just like, ‘Bite down. You’re going to hit me? I’m going to stand here and hit you right back.’ I started putting boys on their back. I was like, ‘Whoa!’ I gave a dude an eight-ounce shiner with some sparring gloves on,” said the 6-foot-5 Martin.

“I hit him with a hook—boom!—he flew out of the ring. He had to wear glasses for a week. That’s when I realized, ‘Oh shoot, I really can do this, man. So then I started walking guys down, putting them in the hospital, giving them concussions. When I started putting on weight, I started getting in these boys’ asses, I’m tellin’ you. It was a good feeling, too.”

Born in St. Louis, Mo, before moving on to Colorado Springs, Colorado, then Phoenix, Arizona, and, ultimately, to Carson, California, to pursue the sport, Martin fought 63 times as an amateur, earning a National PAL championship in 2012 before making his professional debut later that year at the age of 26.

Martin stopped his initial three professional opponents on first, third and fourth round knockouts against Vashawn Tomlin (October), Larry Ward (November) and Terrance Perro (December).

A “Prince” Establishes His Sovereignty

“Prince” Charles fought an amazing 11 times in 2013, going 10-0-1 with eight knockouts and winning unanimous six-round decisions over Joshua Clark (June) and Vincent Thompson (September).

During that stretch, Martin fought twice each in February and March, registering first-round stoppages of Kosetatino Sinoti and Anthony Hinson in the former, and one in the second round over Phillip Triantafillo to go with a four-round draw against Alvaro Morales in the latter. 

Martin also stopped Silvester Barron (KO 2), Aaron Kinch (TKO 4), Dieuly Aristilde (KO 1) and both Joey Dwelko (RTD 4) and Glendy Hernandez (RTD 4) in May, July, October, November and December.

His pace slowed in 2014, but Martin’s KO proficiency improved as he knocked out all five opponents in Maurenzo Smith (February), Tyyab Beale (March), Alexander Flores (April), Rafael Pedro (May) and Kerston Manswell (July) in the third, second, fourth, first and third rounds. 

In 2015, Martin once again stopped all of his opponents, this time, doing so four times against Damon McCreary (KO 1), Raphael Zambuno (KO 10), Tom Dallas (TKO 1) and Vincent Sandez (TKO 3) in January, February, April and September.

THE HIGHS AND LOWS

At 22-0-1 with 18 knockouts, Martin fought for the IBF’s vacant title on January 16, 2016 against Vyacheslav Glazkovl, who entered at 21-0-1 (13 KOs) and was coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Manswell. 

“I’m confident I’ll become a heavyweight champion of the world. I’ve fought right-handers my entire career, but it’s gonna be hard for Glazkov to beat me with only three weeks to train for my southpaw style. I'm massive, strong, powerful, elusive,” said Martin at the time.

“I’m a complete fighter who can also fight moving backward. Glazkov’s best bet is to come and fight, [but] my jab will keep him at range. My hand speed and movement will keep me from shots.If Glazkov gets too close, he’ll get cracked with combinations. He’s definitely going to be in for the hardest fight of his life. I wouldn’t want to fight me.”

Martin won with a TKO of Glazkov, who severely injured his right knee in the third round and was unable to continue, and, in victory, became just the sixth southpaw—and third American lefty—to claim a heavyweight crown. 

Martin then elected to defend across the pond at London’s O2 Arena against 6-foot-6 Anthony Joshua, a hammer-fisted gold medalist in the 2012 London Olympics who had stopped all 15 of his opponents seven rounds or fewer with 12 exiting before the third round including five who fell in Round 1.

Although Martin had halted his previous 13 opponents and gone past the fourth round just once during that stretch, Joshua made quick work of him, flooring him twice in the second and final round with right hands to the head. 

“I got hurt [in sparring] 10 days before the fight and I wasn’t mentally there. I wanted to let the people know that I was hurt and to push it back,” said Martin, claiming a rib injury suffered during training prior to the Joshua fight. 

“A dude hurt me in sparring. He was hitting me behind the head. We got into a clinch and I went to protect the back of my head, and the [guy] just loaded up and blasted me in the ribs. I had to go to a chiropractor to get my freakin’ ribs popped back into place.”

Things got even more difficult for Martin four months after Joshua. 

In early August 2016, Martin was the victim of a shooting in downtown Los Angeles, taking a bullet in one of his forearms after an argument with two men who approached a vehicle he was in, according to reports. 

“I looked down, and saw a pool of blood,” said Martin, who, after authorities arrived, was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery. “I said to myself, ‘I gotta get outta here. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna bleed to death’ I have to pay respect to the cops. They saved my life.”

Martin says he’s “stronger” for the experience in a PBC Podcast interview. “That was a learning experience and just helps me to grow."

Martin was out for more than a year before rebounding in 2017 with second- and first-round TKOs of Byron Polley (April) and Michael Marrone (July).

THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

Following another 14 months Martin returned in September 2018 against then-unbeaten contender Adam Kownacki, who entered their bout at 17-0 (14 KOs) and in search of his fifth straight stoppage victory.

Kownacki won a razor-thin, rock-em, sock-em slugfest, 96-94, on all three judges’ cards against Martin, who had added trainer Manny Robles to assist corner man Tillman for Kownacki.. 

“I came off the couch. I was out for a year-and-a-half. I basically trained myself for that fight. That was a 10-round fight," said Martin, who subsequently promoted Robles to the role of head trainer. "The first six rounds I was knocking the ring-rust off and regaining my comfort in the ring. If I had two more rounds it would have been a knockout.”

Martin won twice in March and July 2019 by eighth-round disqualification for low blows against previously unbeaten Gregory Corbin (15-0, 9 KOs coming in) and two-knockdown, fourth-round stoppage of Daniel Martz.

It was three straight victories following a dominating sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Gerald Washington, whom he flattened with an overhand left to the chin on the February 22 undercard of Tyson Fury’s seventh-round stoppage that dethroned Deontay Wilder as WBC champion in their rematch at MGM Grand Garden Arena. 

“I’m going to shock the world. I’m gonna beat Deontay Wilder and I’m gonna beat Anthony Joshua. I’m a new person, a new fighter, my mind is in a beautiful place right now. I’m so close to another title shot that I can taste it,” said Martin. 

Martin headlined a PBC FOX Sports pay-per-view against hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz on January 1, 2022, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Though Ortiz is considered the "boogeyman" of the heavyweight division, the one many fighters avoided, Martin willingly stepped in, eager to prove himself once again.

The fight was nothing short of thrilling. Martin scored two knockdowns, once in the first off his vaunted left and then again in the fourth courtesy of a stiff jab. However, a big Ortiz left in the sixth rocked and ultimately dropped him, carrying Ortiz to a six-round TKO win. 

Martin returned on September 4, 2022, stopping Devin Vargas in four rounds at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.