SportofBoxing.com’s ticker tape: August 1 to August 7, 2016
Once upon a time, January 16, 2016, to be exact, the 29-year-old Charles Martin fought the former IBF heavyweight champ and won the vacant IBF heavyweight title at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Fast forward to Tuesday morning, August 2, 2016, not even seven months have passed and our hero has not only lost his title, but he almost lost his life.
Update #1: The truth, nothing but the truth. Early Tuesday morning, the former IBF heavyweight champion, Charles Martin, was shot. Martin said he crashed his car after he had been chased by these shooters. Police were unable to locate the suspects, who Martin said he “doesn’t know” and “has no idea why they had a beef with him.”
Martin said after the shooting he “looked down and saw a pool of blood. 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.” After the police arrived at the scene, they immediately shuttled the former champ to a hospital where in the end the successful surgery was performed.
A later report from TMZ Sports stated the incident occurred early Tuesday morning “when two men approached Martin’s vehicle and got into an argument with the boxer.” Then, “shots were fired and Martin pursued the men but then crashed into a utility pole before he was shot at again.”
A third report stated: “A passenger in Martin’s car told LAPD officers they were in downtown L.A. around 5 a.m. on Tuesday when two men approached their vehicle and got into an argument with Martin. According to the police, the men started shooting but missed and fled. Martin got in his car and chased after the alleged shooters, but crashed into a utility pole. That’s when the suspects returned and opened fire again. This time, Martin took a bullet in his forearm, and the suspects fled again, this time in a car.”
The former IBF heavyweight champ won the vacant IBF heavyweight title in January in New York by way of TKO when Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov injured his knee after being felled by a punch in the third round and could not continue. Martin’s reign as champ lasted just 85 days, when rising British star and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua deposed of Martin inside of two rounds. Martin’s reign as champion is the second-shortest in professional boxing history with only Tony Tucker’s tenure in 1987 being shorter. At this point, the only update we have is that Charles is now at home resting and very grateful to the many well wishers.
At this time it’s so important that “Prince Charles” Martin reach out to his many friends and loved ones. It has been the storyline of movie, after movie. Boxer wins way to a title only to see his world collapse after tragedy strikes.
Update #2: On Friday night at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, super flyweight Danny Andujo of the Temecula Boxing Club, won in his professional debut by way of a first round stoppage of Israel Hernandez of San Jose, Calif. On the same night, featherweight Roberto Meza of Temecula, Calif. won his third fight without a loss. Johnathan “Johnny Boy” Quiroz of Oceanside, Calif. was not as fortunate. After four hotly contested rounds, his opponent, Ja’Rico O’Quinn, managed to eek out the close decision victory.
Update #3: So much for the credence of being the WBF Super Middleweight champion. On Saturday, July 6, Andre Ward fought this 39-year-old gentleman from Columbia by the name of Alexander Brand for the WBO Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Title. It was the final bout for Ward before he fights Sergey Kovalev for the real world light heavyweight title. In this contest, Ward showed his blithe disregard for Brand by switching from orthodox to southpaw as he kept Brand on the run for 12 rounds in survival mode. All three judges scored the bout: 120-108.
In the co-feature of the Ward vs. Brand show, it was Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker, on the eve of his 27th birthday, stopping the 33-year-old Ty Barnett at the 2:17 mark of round one of their scheduled 10 rounder. By doing so, Hooker won the WBO NABO super lightweight title. It is almost four years to the day that San Diego’s Mercito Gesta, at the time under contract with Top Rank, stopped Barnett in round nine of their scheduled 10 rounder. (photo, left) After his victory, Hooker sat ringside next to David Diamante, boxing announcer, radio host, PA announcer for the Brooklyn Nets, voice of The Lights on NBC Sports Network, plus the owner of Diamante’s Cigar Lounge. 
With some people, one photo is never enough. (bottom photo) Here we have Raquel Miller (c) with her crew prior to Saturday night’s contest. About her loyal supporters, Miller once explained: “Sometimes I feel like I don’t tell them enough how really thankful I am for their support.”
Also on the undercard, you had middleweight Raquel Miller from Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco, Calif. Before turning professional in May, Miller was the back-up for Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields plus an assistant boxing coach at The Arena gym in Point Loma, San Diego, Calif. Miller, now 2-0, won a unanimous decision over the shorter but game 26-year-old Gabby “the Gabanator” Holloway (0-2) from Rhoadesville, Virginia.
Update #4:
Juan Diaz still winning after all these years.
Under the category, “Is he still boxing?” Juan Diaz began to box in 1991 when he was 8-years-old at Willie Savannah’s Boxing Club in Houston, Texas. Then, at age 16, he won a gold medal at the Mexican National Championships and was declared the “Outstanding Boxer” of the tournament. He thought he had qualified for the Mexican Olympic team but was later informed he was too young to compete. Instead, he turned pro leaving behind an amateur record of 105-5. Sixteen years and 46 fights later, he’s still banging away with a pro record of 42 wins and only four losses.
On Saturday, the former WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight world champion defeated Cesar Vazquez (27-3) by TKO. To refresh your memory, Diaz lost his lightweight titles to Nate Campbell (by split decision in 2008), his first defeat after 33 consecutive victories) and then had that TKO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2009. That fight was declared the 2009 ‘Fight of the Year’ by both The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. On June 13, 2011, he announced his retirement which lasted all of three years and eight months.
(l to r) Tijuana’s Edivaldo Ortega and Sandra “La Perla Negra” Robles.
Update #5: On Saturday night, August 13, in Rosarito, B. C., Mexico, you have fan favorite, super bantamweight Edivaldo Ortega (24-0-1) scheduled to face Emanuel Navarrete at the new Rosarito Convention Center. He is in the co-Main Event on that Antonio Margarito (39-8-0) versus Ramon Alvarez (23-4-2) spectacular being presented by Zanfer Promotions. Also on that fight card, you have standouts Pedro Campa (21-0), Jaime Mungia (16-0), Julio Barraza (14-0), Samuel Garibaldi (10-0-1), Eduardo Baez (7-0) plus the lovely Sandra “Perla Negra” Robles (14-2, 7 KOs). For certain, six of the seven boxers will be fighting to the death to preserve their undefeated record.
It’s like enrolling at the same University. At the 2015 Desert Showdown, lightweight David Mijares (left) of Pasadena, Calif. and super featherweight Genaro Gamez (r) of San Diego pose for a photo together.
Update #6: Looking ahead on the Pro Boxing schedule we have super featherweight, 21-year-old Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Chula Vista, Calif. returning to action on Friday, August 19, at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles. His opponent? Southpaw Tyshawn “Optimus Prime” Sherman (0-2) from Adelanto, Calif. In his two previous bouts, Sherman was knocked out by Guy Robb in 2011 and stopped by Roque Ramos in 2013. Along with Gamez on that same fight card is David Mijares. Interesting to note, both young men boxed for the 2015 BCR World Title in their respective divisions in the BCR portion of the 2015 Desert Showdown World Amateur Championships. A year later, both have successful pro boxing careers and are signed with Golden Boy Promotions. Both are 2-0, close to the same height and age, albeit two months apart.
As always you can check out the entire Pro Boxing schedule by going here: http://sportofboxing.com/2016/08/pro-boxing-schedule-as-of-april-24-2016/
