Wikipedia

Charles Martin (boxer)

Charles Lee Martin (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional boxer. He held the IBF heavyweight title in 2016. His 85-day reign as champion is the second-shortest in heavyweight boxing history, after Tony Tucker's 64 days in 1987 (also as IBF champion). During Martin's short reign as IBF champion, he reached a peak active heavyweight ranking of ninth by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.[1]

Charles Martin
Born
Charles Lee Martin

(1986-04-24) April 24, 1986 (age 38)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesPrince Charles
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Reach80 in (203 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights34
Wins29
Wins by KO26
Losses4
Draws1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  United States
Golden Gloves
Silver medal – second place 2012 Mesquite Super-heavyweight
US National PAL Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Toledo Super-heavyweight
Gold medal – first place 2012 Toledo Super-heavyweight

Amateur career

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Martin had 64 fights as an amateur, having started boxing at the age of 22. In 2012 he won the National PAL Championships.[2][3]

Professional career

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Early career

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Martin turned professional on October 27, 2012. He made his TV debut on ESPN July 19, 2013, when he beat Aaron Kinch by a fourth-round TKO. On September 21, he beat then-undefeated Vincent Thompson (13–0). The fight was in Thompson's home state Washington and Martin got a unanimous decision. He dropped Thompson in the first round, for the first time in his career.[4][5] On October 25, Martin defeated Haitian Dieuly Aristilde, by TKO in round one.[6] On November 14, Martin became the first man to ever stop Joey Dawejko. Martin dropped Dawejko in the 4th round. Dawejko's corner asked to get the fight stopped between the 4th and 5th rounds.[7] Charles Martin fought 11 times in 2013. On December 21 he won against undefeated Cuban heavyweight Glendy Hernandez (10–0).[8]

Rise up the ranks

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On April 16, 2014 Martin won the vacant WBO–NABO heavyweight title by beating former undefeated boxer Alexander Flores by KO in the 4th round.[9][10][11] Martin was in a non-title fight a month later against 38-year-old journeyman Rafael Pedro at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California. In an overmatched fight, Martin floored Pedro twice in round one winning the bout via knockout.[9] In July 2014, Martin successfully defended the title for the first time at BB King Blues Club & Grill in New York against 37-year-old veteran Kertson Manswell. Manswell hadn't fought in seven months, since his loss to Wendell Jorkhu. Martin entered the bout with a seven-fight knockout streak. Martin won via the third knockdown rule, knocking Manswell down three times in round 3, forcing the stoppage.[12]

After a six-month gap, Martin returned to fight Damon McCreary (15–3, 11 KOs) in a non-title six-round bout. Martin won after 2 minutes into the first round via TKO. Martin made a defence of the title on February 28, 2015 against former Brazilian heavyweight champion Raphael Zumbano Love (35–9–1, 28 KOs) at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. Martin won via TKO in the 10th and final round with a minute remaining.[13]

Martin's next defence came on April 25, on the undercard of Klitschko-Jennings at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York against British boxer Tom Dallas.[14] The fight lasted one round as Dallas was knocked out by a straight left hand to the head from Martin.[15][16] Martin made his fourth and final defence of his WBO–NABO title on September 25 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama against Mexican WBO latino heavyweight champion Vicente Sandez (15–4, 10 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round fight. By the third round, Martin was ahead on all three judges' scorecards 20–17, knocking Sandez down in round 2. The fight was stopped by referee Flynn Gerald, 35 seconds into round 3 following another knockdown.[17]

IBF heavyweight champion

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Martin vs. Glazkov

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Following Tyson Fury's win against Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 in becoming the new unified heavyweight champion, the IBF ordered Fury to make a mandatory defence against Vyacheslav Glazkov. However, Fury opted to take the rematch against Klitschko, thus being stripped of the IBF title in the process. The IBF then ordered Glazkov to fight Martin for a vacant world title on January 16 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[18] Glaskov's purse for the fight was $804,700, whilst Martin had a purse of $433,300.[19]

Martin claimed the vacant title by stopping Glazkov in the third round, due to injury. By round 3, the scorecards were (19–19, 20–18 Glazkov, and 20–18 Martin). Glazkov slipped to the canvas when he fell backwards after trying to dodge a right hook from Martin. Referee Earl Brown ruled it a slip, but Glazkov appeared to hurt his right knee following the fall. When the fight resumed, Glazkov threw a right body hook but was hit by Martins left jab and went down again after losing his balance. He dropped to the canvas clearly in pain. The fight was stopped, with the ringside doctor diagnosing him with a torn right ACL. According to CompuBox, Martin landed 26 of 105 punches (25 percent), and Glazkov connected on 19 of 64 blows (30 percent).[20][21]

After winning the IBF title, Martin narrowed down a shortlist of boxers he could make his first defence against. The three names were former world title challengers Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka and rising contender Dominic Breazeale.[22]

Martin vs. Joshua

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Martin chose to make the first defence of his title against rising British star and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua at The O2 Arena in London on 9 April 2016. It was reported that Martin would bank £6 million ($8.5 m) for the defense against Joshua.[23]

Joshua set the pace in the first round and kept the southpaw Martin at bay before sending him to the canvas with a straight right hand in the second round. Martin got to his feet only to be knocked down for a second time by a similar punch just moments later. This time Martin failed to beat the count after taking too long to get up, and the referee counted Martin out, with Joshua winning his first world title.[24][25] Martin was heavily criticized for his performance, and apparent lack of ambition to win the fight. Observers accused him of quitting early, feeling that he could have got up quicker and fought on.[26][27] Martin later placed the blame on the pre-fight distractions, claiming that he was 'mentally not there'.[28] At just 85 days, Martin's reign as IBF heavyweight champion was the second-shortest in professional boxing history, with only Tony Tucker's 1987 reign being shorter.

Post-title career

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On April 17, 2017 Martin announced that he would make a return on April 25 in a non-televised fight against 37-year-old journeyman Byron Polley (30–20–1, 13 KOs, 3 NC) at the Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi in a scheduled 10-round bout.[29] Martin won the fight via second-round TKO.[30] In the post fight, he said, “I’m just back to finish what I started ... Now I’m back and I’m ready to be undisputed, like my plans were originally, undisputed champ.” Polley was dropped two times in the second before the fight was stopped 51 seconds into the round.[31]

Martin continued his comeback trail on July 18 at the Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria, Louisiana against 31-year-old journeyman Michael Marrone (21–7, 15 KOs).[32] Martin won the bout in the first round via knockout. A first knockdown occurred after Martin landed a left hook, then a left shot to the body floored Marrone again. Marrone was then counted out by referee Kenny Saintes.[33][34]

Martin vs. Kownacki

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In July 2018, Showtime announced it was planning an event to take place on September 8, headlined by Danny García vs. Shawn Porter for the vacant WBC welterweight title. It was rumoured that Martin would challenge Polish rising contender Adam Kownacki (17-0, 14 KO) on the undercard.[35] On August 1, the card was confirmed to take place at the Barclays Center in New York City. Kownacki was coming into the bout with wins over Artur Szpilka and Iago Kiladze.[36] Martin started the fight slow, being forced to box on the back foot, allowing Kownacki to take a lead on the scorecards. It was from round 3 when Martin began opening up and letting his hands go. The fight had lots of action throughout the 10 rounds. The final round was considered a potential round of the year by pundits and commentators, which saw both boxers trade to the head and body. All three judges scored the bout 96–94 in favor of Kownacki.[37][38] Both boxers earned a $100,000 purse for the fight.[39] After the fight, Martin said, "I believed I got the win. I did work on the inside and no one saw that. I did really good work on the inside. I will get back in the gym. Looks are very deceiving. I put up a hell of a fight and I came up just short." According to CompuBox stats, Martin landed 203 punches of 621 thrown (33%) and Kownacki landed 242 of his 729 landed (33%).[40][41] The fight, which opened Showtime's telecast, averaged 395,000 viewers and peaked at 503,000 viewers.[42]

Martin vs. Corbin

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On 16 March 2019, Martin faced Gregory Corbin. Corbin was no match for Martin, as Martin dominated each round. In the fourth round, Corbin hit Martin under the belt, for which he was penalized by the referee. Corbin continued his antics in the fifth and sixth round, and by the eighth round the referee had seen enough and disqualified Corbin, awarding Martin with the victory.[43]

Martin vs Martz

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On July 13, 2019, Martin faced Daniel Martz. Martin dominated the fight, as he dropped Martz twice, once in the third and once in the fourth round, the latter proving to be the decisive one.[44]

Martin vs Washington

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On February 22, 2020, Martin, ranked #11 by the IBF faced fellow contender Gerald Washington, ranked #9 by the IBF on the Deontay Wilder - Tyson Fury undercard.[45] Martin landed a straight left on Washington in the sixth round, followed by another straight left which sent Washington to the canvas. Washington managed to beat the count, but referee Tony Weeks deemed Washington not fit to continue fighting, awarding Martin with the TKO victory.

Personal life

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Martin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to Colorado Springs and Phoenix after the age of 12. Martin started doing construction work from the age of 14 and had his first son at a young age. He has four children.[46]

In the early hours of August 5, 2016, it was reported by Sky Sports that Martin had been shot in Los Angeles. He was allegedly involved in an altercation with two men that resulted in him having a gunshot wound to his forearm as he was driving away. He underwent surgery for the wound.[47] Martin checked out of hospital following surgery on August 10.[48]

Professional boxing record

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34 fights 29 wins 4 losses
By knockout 26 2
By decision 2 2
By disqualification 1 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
34 Loss 29–4–1 Jared Anderson UD 10 Jul 1, 2023 Huntington Center, Toledo, U.S. For WBC–USNBC and WBO International heavyweight titles
33 Win 29–3–1 Devin Vargas KO 4 (8), 1:59 Sep 4, 2022 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, U.S.
32 Loss 28–3–1 Luis Ortiz TKO 6 (12), 1:36 Jan 1, 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
31 Win 28–2–1 Gerald Washington TKO 6 (12), 1:57 Feb 22, 2020 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
30 Win 27–2–1 Daniel Martz TKO 4 (10), 2:03 Jul 13, 2019 Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
29 Win 26–2–1 Gregory Corbin DQ 8 (10), 0:53 Mar 16, 2019 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. Corbin disqualified for repeated low blows
28 Loss 25–2–1 Adam Kownacki UD 10 Sep 8, 2018 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.
27 Win 25–1–1 Mike Marrone TKO 1 (10), 2:31 Jul 18, 2017 Rapides Coliseum, Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S.
26 Win 24–1–1 Byron Polley TKO 2 (10), 0:51 Apr 25, 2017 Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel, Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, U.S.
25 Loss 23–1–1 Anthony Joshua KO 2 (12), 1:32 Apr 9, 2016 The O2 Arena, London, England Lost IBF heavyweight title
24 Win 23–0–1 Vyacheslav Glazkov TKO 3 (12), 1:50 Jan 16, 2016 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. Won vacant IBF heavyweight title
23 Win 22–0–1 Vicente Sandez KO 3 (10), 0:35 Sep 26, 2015 Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO heavyweight title
22 Win 21–0–1 Tom Dallas TKO 1 (10), 2:56 Apr 25, 2015 Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO heavyweight title
21 Win 20–0–1 Raphael Zumbano Love KO 10 (10), 1:47 Feb 28, 2015 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO heavyweight title
20 Win 19–0–1 Damon McCreary KO 1 (6), 2:21 Jan 9, 2015 Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, U.S.
19 Win 18–0–1 Kertson Manswell TKO 3 (10), 2:33 Jul 23, 2014 BB King Blues Club & Grill, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO heavyweight title
18 Win 17–0–1 Rafael Pedro KO 1 (10), 2:19 May 20, 2014 Pier, Santa Monica, California, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO heavyweight title
17 Win 16–0–1 Alexander Flores KO 4 (10), 1:14 Apr 16, 2014 Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California, U.S. Won vacant WBO–NABO heavyweight title
16 Win 15–0–1 Tyyab Beale KO 2 (8), 2:37 Mar 1, 2014 Evangeline Downs, Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S.
15 Win 14–0–1 Maurenzo Smith RTD 3 (8), 3:00 Feb 6, 2014 Florentine Gardens, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
14 Win 13–0–1 Glendy Hernandez RTD 4 (6), 3:00 Dec 21, 2013 Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
13 Win 12–0–1 Joey Dawejko RTD 4 (6), 3:00 Nov 14, 2013 Florentine Gardens, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
12 Win 11–0–1 Dieuly Aristilde TKO 1 (6), 2:27 Oct 25, 2013 Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S.
11 Win 10–0–1 Vincent Thompson UD 6 Sep 21, 2013 Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, U.S.
10 Win 9–0–1 Aaron Kinch TKO 4 (6), 2:55 Jul 19, 2013 Rockingham Park, Salem, New Hampshire, U.S.
9 Win 8–0–1 Joshua Clark UD 6 Jun 6, 2013 The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, U.S.
8 Win 7–0–1 Sylvester Barron KO 2 (6), 0:31 May 22, 2013 Pier, Santa Monica, California, U.S.
7 Draw 6–0–1 Alvaro Morales MD 4 Mar 30, 2013 Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Phillip Triantafillo KO 2 (4), 1:44 Mar 14, 2013 Florentine Gardens, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Anthony Hinson KO 1 (4), 2:57 Feb 23, 2013 Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Kosetatino Sinoti KO 1 (4), 2:39 Feb 1, 2013 Jonathan Club, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Terrance Perro KO 4 (4), 0:41 Dec 21, 2012 Florentine Gardens, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Larry Ward KO 3 (4), 1:31 Nov 17, 2012 Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Vashawn Tomlin KO 1 (4), 3:00 Oct 27, 2012 Music Factory, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

References

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  1. ^ "8 March 2016 | Transnational Boxing Rankings Board". www.tbrb.org. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  2. ^ USA Boxing (October 16, 2012). "The 2012 National PAL Championships Crown the Next Generation of Boxers in Toledo". Teamusa.org. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "Charles Martin - Amateur Boxing Record". Boxing-scoop.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Vincent Thompson loses first pro heavyweight bout; Gavronski wins GBO Super Middleweight title | The Highline Times / Des Moines News". Highlinetimes.com. September 24, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "BOXING: Federal Way's Vincent Thompson loses first professional fight". Federal Way Mirror. September 23, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Charles Martin Stops Dieuly Aristilde in The First - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. October 26, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  7. ^ "Konstantin Ponomarev Shines in Hollywood: Quigley Wins - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. November 15, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  8. ^ "Hamilton Ventura Stops Brown, Said El Harrak Wins - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Charles Martin scores first-round stoppage against Rafael Pedro - Ring TV". Ringtv.craveonline.com. May 21, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  10. ^ "Huge Heavys Charles Martin & Alex Flores Battle in Santa Monica Beach - The Sweet Science". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Charles Martin Shows His Worth in KO Win of Flores". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "Patrick Hyland Wins Return: Martin Stops Manswell". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  13. ^ "Charles Martin Snags Knockout Victory in Phoenix". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "Charles Martin Inching Closer To a World Title Shot". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  15. ^ "Charles Martin, Kenneth Sims, Kiladze Win at MSG". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  16. ^ "Charles Martin Aims To Get Klitschko Within a Year". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  17. ^ "Terrell Gausha, Charles Martin, Mario Barrios Get Wins". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  18. ^ "Glazkov-Martin Officially Announced For Showtime Card". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Glazkov, Martin to fight for vacant heavyweight title". December 18, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Charles, Andy (January 17, 2016). "Vyacheslav Glazkov knee injury gives Charles Martin IBF title". Sky Sports. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "Martin stops Glazkov, wins vacant heavyweight title". January 17, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  22. ^ "Charles Martin's Options: Arreola, Breazeale and Szpilka". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  23. ^ "Martin wants 'English money quick' - Joshua". April 5, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  24. ^ Dirs, Ben (April 9, 2016). "Anthony Joshua beats Charles Martin to become world heavyweight champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  25. ^ "Joshua stops Martin to win IBF world title". April 9, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  26. ^ "Mickey Vann: Anthony Joshua proved Charles Martin was a poor excuse for a 'world' champion - Boxing News". April 24, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  27. ^ "Deontay Wilder accuses Charles Martin of lying down against Joshua - Ring TV". April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  28. ^ "Charles Martin claims pre-fight distractions caused his defeat to Anthony Joshua". Sky Sports. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  29. ^ "Charles Martin Begins Comeback From Shooting, KO Loss April 25 - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  30. ^ "Martin victorious in comeback fight • Boxing News". Boxing News. April 25, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  31. ^ "Charles Martin: Back to Finish What I Started, Become Undisputed - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  32. ^ "Charles Martin comeback continues tomorrow, will face Michael Marrone in Louisiana - Boxing News". July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  33. ^ "Martin, Rodriguez, Elbiali score crushing KOs - Boxing News, Results, Rankings, Schedule". fightnews.com. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  34. ^ "Chris Avalos Shocks Miguel Flores With Controversial TKO Win - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  35. ^ "Showtime planning September 8th Garcia-Porter, Benavidez-Dirrell card". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  36. ^ "Ugas vs. Barrionuevo, Kownacki vs. Martin on Garcia-Porter". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  37. ^ "Adam Kownacki Decisions Charles Martin in Action-Filled Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  38. ^ "'Prince' Charles Martin loses on points to unbeaten Adam Kownacki in New York". Sky Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  39. ^ "Purses for the Showtime card: Danny Garcia $1.25M, Shawn Porter $1M, Yordenis Ugas $100k, Cesar Barrionuevo $35k, Adam Kownacki $100k, Charles Martin $100k". ESPN.com. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  40. ^ "Ugas beats Barrionuevo, earns WBC title shot". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  41. ^ "Adam Kownacki vs. Charles Martin - CompuBox Punch Stats". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  42. ^ "Showtime's Porter-Garcia Main Event Peaked at 690,000 Viewers". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  43. ^ Christ, Scott (March 16, 2019). "Charles Martin gets DQ win over Gregory Corbin". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  44. ^ Donovan, Jake (July 13, 2019). "Charles Martin Blasts Out Daniel Martz in Fourth Round". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  45. ^ "Martin vs Washington - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  46. ^ "Q&A: Charles Martin - Ring TV". January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  47. ^ "Charles Martin suffers gunshot wound in Los Angeles". Sky Sports. August 5, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  48. ^ "Charles Martin leaves hospital after surgery on gunshot wound". Sky Sports. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Seth Mitchell 		WBO–NABO
heavyweight champion
April 16, 2014 – January 2016
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Jarrell Miller
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Tyson Fury 		IBF heavyweight champion
January 16, 2016 – April 9, 2016 		Succeeded by
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