Leotis Martin
Leotis Martin (born March 10, 1939 in Helena , Arkansas , † November 20, 1995 ) was an American heavyweight boxer .
Career
Martin was US amateurs middleweight champion in 1960 and 1961 and then turned professional. After 9 wins he lost against Floyd McCoy (only 14-14) in 1963 prematurely. In 1965 he defeated the well-known opponent Sonny Banks , who died after the fight. Without boxing outstanding opponents, but only fraught with a defeat, he was invited to the WBA tournament in 1967 , which was held after the political problems of Muhammad Ali to find a successor, but lost after cuts to Jimmy Ellis . He then lost to Roger Russell on points.
1968 turned into an ascent and descent. First he landed his first major triumph when he knocked out Karl Mildenberger in Germany , then he lost to the unknown Hentry Clark (14-3-2). In England he knocked out the favorite world class man Thad Spencer , lost in Argentina to Óscar Bonavena on points, and then again beat Al Lewis (relatively unknown, but with a 19-1 record). After a victory over Lewis in the rematch, he achieved a spectacular victory in 1969 over an old Sonny Liston , who initially had him on the ground, but then ran into a counterattack and was hard knocked out, which practically ended his career. But even Martin had to end his career after this fight because of an eye injury.
Web links
- Leotis Martin in the BoxRec database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Martin, Leotis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American boxer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 10, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Helena , Arkansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 20, 1995 |