Carlos Ortiz, Puerto Rico's First Two-Division Champion, Passes Away At Age 85

[Ruthless-RKO]

Carlos Ortiz, Puerto Rico's First Two-Division Champion, Passes Away At Age 85

The boxing world has lost one of the greatest Puerto Rican fighters in history.

BS.com is saddened to report the passing of former two-division champion Carlos Ortiz, who passed away on Monday in New York at age 85. News of his death came the day after a three-class International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) induction ceremony this past weekend, an event which Ortiz was a regular fixture since his induction in 1991.

“The WBO family is mourning the passing of legendary Lightweight and Jr Welterweight champion Carlos Ortiz,” the WBO announced on Monday in first revealing the news to the boxing community. “Born in Ponce and raised in New York, Ortiz was one of the best and most popular fighters of the 1960s. Rest in peace.”

The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Ortiz was born September 9, 1936 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family relocated to New York where he also turned pro in 1955 at just 18 years of age. Over the course of his incredible 17-year career, Ortiz became the first Puerto Rico-born fighter to win titles in two weight divisions, doing it the hard way and often on the road.

His first title win came at junior welterweight, scoring a second-round knockout of Kenny Lane in their June 1959 junior welterweight championship to avenge a points loss in their non-title fight six months prior.

Two successful defenses followed, including a 15-round, split decision win over Duilio Loi in June 1960 before losing a majority decision to the legendary Italian—a Class of 2005 IBHOF inductee—three months later, on the road in Milan, Italy. Ortiz dropped a 15-round, unanimous decision in their May 1961 rubber match in Milan before dropping down to lightweight where he would make his bones in the sport.

Ortiz became a two-division titlist following a 15-round, unanimous decision win over Joe Brown to claim the WBA lightweight championship in April 1962. His second title defense provided another watershed moment, becoming the first recognized WBC lightweight champ after stopping Cuba’s Douglas Vaillant in their April 1963 unified championship contest in San Juan, Ortiz’s first pro fight in Puerto Rico.

The feat would serve as the first of two unified title reigns, spanning six years and only separated by a majority decision defeat to Panama’s Ismael Laguna in April 1965 on the road in Panama City. Ortiz enjoyed regional advantage for their November 1965 rematch, outpointing Laguna over 15 rounds in San Juan. Ortiz made 11 total defenses over the two reigns, including ten as a unified champion which remains a lightweight record.

Ortiz’s second title reign ended in a June 1968 split decision defeat to Dominican Republic’s Carlos Teo Cruz in the challenger’s hometown of Santo Domingo.

It was the last ever title fight for Ortiz, who rattled off another ten wins before suffering a sixth-round knockout loss to former lightweight champion Ken Buchanan to end his career.

Buchanan was one fight removed from his championship loss to Roberto Duran at Madison Square Garden, where he forced Ortiz to retire on his stool after six rounds in their September 1972 fight. It was the only stoppage loss in Ortiz’s 17-year career, though the sour note did not at all detract from leaving his mark as an all-time great lightweight and on a short list that includes Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez, Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho and Miguel Cotto as the best-ever male Puerto Rican boxers.

Ortiz retired with a record of 61-7-1 (30KOs), having fought in ten different countries and taking pride in facing—and often beating—his challengers on the road. His body of work was honored by the IBHOF whose voters included him in the second induction class in 1991, becoming the first Puerto Rican boxer to gain enshrinement.

[Ruthless-RKO]

One of the comments on another forum:

He saw Berlanga's embarrassing performance on Saturday and decided to check out on Monday.

[scorpio83]

RIP Champ

[Ruthless-RKO]

He wasn't the first boxer from PR to win a world title was he?

[elmersalsa]

He wasn't the first boxer from PR to win a world title was he?

Nope. He was the second Puerto Rican ever to win a boxing world championship when he defeated American Kenny Lane for the vacant World Jr Welterweight Championship in 1959.

Puerto Rico's first world champion was Sixto Escobar in 1936, I believe. Escobar was a 3-time World Bantamweight Champion.

[goose 5]

I got to know Ortiz somewhat years ago- a great guy and for my money on a par with Ike Williams as the best lightweight ever.

[elmersalsa]

Does anyone has a DVD or VHS fights of Carlos Ortiz vs Ismael Laguna rematch in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1965, and when he lost the Lightweight crown against Carlos "Teo" Cruz in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 1968?

[Woller]

I would also love to see the second Laguna fight. All I have of the Cruz fight is four rounds from a german sports Chanel.

[scorpio83]

Have anyone look up at the International Boxing Hall of Fame website where any Hall of Famers passed away, they would Flag half-staff in their honor like they did with legends like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and others, but they didn't wrote the news that they would flag half-staff for Carlos Ortiz. Why they didn't announce it? It is because they honored the recently inducted Hall of Famers in the last 3 years?

[scorpio83]

What I said earlier, the IBHOF announced it a few days later on the passing of Carlos Ortiz and flag half-staff for his honor.

[orbtastic]

I have his autograph somewhere. Sadly one of many I bought over 20 years ago before eBay and PayPal where they are now dead.