Leotis Martin.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 17 Nov 2006, 16:15

Former world class Heavyweight Leotis Martin of Philadelphia passed away eleven years ago this month at the relatively young age of 56 due to I believe a stroke. So I thought this was as good a time as ever to start this thread as he is not talked about as often as many of the other Heavyweights of his era.

Martin of course is best known for stopping the ageing Sonny Liston in 1969. Of course Liston was an old fighter by this time but he was still very dangerous and how many other contenders of that time could have stopped Sonny in such brutal fashion? Not many I imagine. Although Martin won this fight it cost him his career as a Boxer due to a detached retina courtesy of Sonnys still potent left hand.

But there was far more to Martins career than the Liston win. He first sprang to prominence when after a tough, bruising fight stopped the hard left-hooking Sonny Banks in 1965. Sadly due to injuries sustained in this fight Sonny Banks died three days later. Martin a quiet and gentle man spent those three days sat at his fallen opponents bedside.

Martin continued his career and in 1967 was entered into the 1967 Elimination Tournament for WBA Heavyweight Title, but in a hard fought fight got his lip busted up and stopped by Jimmy Ellis. In 1968 Martin travelled to Germany and stopped Karl Mildenberger. Then he travelled to the UK and stopped Thad Spencer in a non-televised fight that many at ringside claim to be one of the great Heavyweight fights. He then twice
in two entertaining fights beat bull strong Alvin Lewis. Although I did here the first fight was a controversial decision.

Another thing that is claimed is that Martin got the better of a young Joe Frazier in a sparring session and due to this Team Frazier steered the young Smokin’ Joe clear of a fight with Martin. Martin was apparently also a sparring partner for Sonny Liston for the Patterson rematch.

From the little I have seen and read about Leotis Martins fighting style he was a clever counter-puncher, with plenty of ‘snap’ in both hands.

So fight fans anyone here have any thoughts or opinions on Leotis Martin? How would a fight against young Joe Frazier have panned out in the late 1960’s?

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=11981

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 17 Nov 2006, 16:19

http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com/phot ... 06apic.jpg

Martin vs Liston.

From the phillyboxinghistory.com

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 17 Nov 2006, 16:51

It was those sparring sesssions Leotis had with Liston that gave Martin that edge he took in with him. He had the keys so to speak...he was a very smart fighter.

Without those sparring sessions I really feel he would not have won. Leotis was very under rated and avoided. I've heard that the Spencer fight was a barn burner....no film exists of this fight? Love to see it if it does.

Sweet Scientist · Post by **Sweet Scientist** » 17 Nov 2006, 18:36

It was on ABC TV with Howard Cosell...you'd think there would be a tape of it somewhere...as I remember, Liston was winning BIG on points before he got clipped...Martin kept trying the Ali strategy of circling away, but didn't have the foot speed or reflexes to avoid getting hit...Liston was schooling him until...well, you know...

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 17 Nov 2006, 19:06

Oops I didnt make myself clear...sorry. I know the liston martin fight exists. But not sure about the Martin Spencer fight.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 18 Nov 2006, 10:45

BoxBuzz wrote:Oops I didnt make myself clear...sorry. I know the liston martin fight exists. But not sure about the Martin Spencer fight.

I am pretty sure there is no film of the Martin vs Spencer fight. :(

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 18 Nov 2006, 10:48

Thanks for that info on Martin K.O.
This guy had an interesting career , I wonder what might have been.
He had a lot of heart hanging in there with and brutaly belting out Liston the way he did.

bill.lockhart · Post by **bill.lockhart** » 18 Nov 2006, 11:48

It's a real shame he suffered a detached retina vs. Liston. He would have been a handful . I can't help but remember his interview after the fight. He wouldn't have been much of an after dinner speaker on the rubber chicken circuit, after his career was over. If he wasn't punch drunk he was a hell of an actor.

Sweet Scientist · Post by **Sweet Scientist** » 18 Nov 2006, 17:55

KOJOE90 wrote:
BoxBuzz wrote:Oops I didnt make myself clear...sorry. I know the liston martin fight exists. But not sure about the Martin Spencer fight.
I am pretty sure there is no film of the Martin vs Spencer fight. :(

Hard to believe...wasn't that one of the title elimination bouts after Ali was stripped...you'd think all of those fights would've been filmed...weren't they all on ABC's Wide World of Sports over several months? I know some of them were...

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 18 Nov 2006, 19:42

Sweet Scientist wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:
BoxBuzz wrote:Oops I didnt make myself clear...sorry. I know the liston martin fight exists. But not sure about the Martin Spencer fight.
I am pretty sure there is no film of the Martin vs Spencer fight. :(
Hard to believe...wasn't that one of the title elimination bouts after Ali was stripped...you'd think all of those fights would've been filmed...weren't they all on ABC's Wide World of Sports over several months? I know some of them were...

Don't think(?) that fight was part of the WBA elimination bouts, also the fight was in the UK, did ABC cover fights in the UK? Joe Bugner was on that bill to, I have no idea if that fight was filmed either.

Woller · Post by **Woller** » 20 Nov 2006, 04:37

I think that you are thinking of the wrong opponent. Martins fight in the heavyweight elimination series was against Jimmy Ellis - And that fight was filmed.

Woller

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 22 Nov 2006, 06:42

Woller wrote:I think that you are thinking of the wrong opponent. Martins fight in the heavyweight elimination series was against Jimmy Ellis - And that fight was filmed.

Woller

Anyone here seen the Ellis v Martin fight?

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 22 Nov 2006, 09:52

*Frustration mounting, deep breath*

Everybody knows that Leotis Martins fight with Sonny was filmed and widely available.

The Leotis Martin fight with Jimmy Ellis was part of the 1967 WBA tournement, again filmed and very much available.

The fight with THAD SPENCER, won by Martin, was a regualt 10 round fight held in the UK on a Joe Bugner undercard. Since it was a Bugner fight, it will have been filmed by the BBC.

Whether a copy is available, who knows..?

As for Leotis, no way was he getting schooled by Sonny quite the opposite. Though it was rough in the early going, and he got dropped in the 4th, he was doing a supreme job boxing Sonny, and nailing him repeatedly with hard counters and combinations to the body & head.

It was a tough, vicious fight and once Martin busted a tiring Sonny up at the end of the 8th he became alarmed & suddenly very, very old.

As we all know, Martins final rd as a professional fighter was a BEAUT!!

Would love to have seen a world title fight with Frazier in 1970 (or a rematch with Jimmy Ellis for the WBA belt) but wasn't to be. Although Martin would be a handful for both, Ellis had his number and I believe Joe would have smoked him in the end.

Tough bastard!!!

PS awesome pic Joe, now resides as my PC wallpaper at work.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 22 Nov 2006, 10:13

overhand_right wrote:The Leotis Martin fight with Jimmy Ellis was part of the 1967 WBA tournement, again filmed and very much available.

The fight with THAD SPENCER, won by Martin, was a regualt 10 round fight held in the UK on a Joe Bugner undercard. Since it was a Bugner fight, it will have been filmed by the BBC.

Whether a copy is available, who knows..?

.

Overhand.

Have you seen the Ellis v Martin fight? Is it worth hunting down? Ever seen Martins fights with Blue Lewis they are suppose to be very entertaining.

As for Martin v Spencer it was on a Bugner bill but it was only his 7/8 fight so would aunty Beeb have filmed it? I've always been led to believe that it wasn't. Maybe it was filmed and is now locked away by the BBC deep underground gaurded by a handfull of Trolls, who knowns.

Overhand, we should arm ourselves to the teeth and storm the BBC and demand answers now!!!!!!!!

Syntax Error · Post by **Syntax Error** » 22 Nov 2006, 11:11

Martin's KO of Liston is definitely one of the unsung KO's.

It's all the more impressive when you consider that nobody ever did that to Liston, not even Ali.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 22 Nov 2006, 11:19

Joe-

My Isa savings account combined with your pension should cover a couple of Broomhandle Mausers and possibly a Luger and a gascape. I say we go to the BBC and slot whomever gives us less than straight answers regarding the storage of 60s fight reels.

As for Ellis/Martin yes i do own a copy & yes it is entertaining enough to seek out on DVD, as is the entire 7-fight 1968 WBA tourney. Haven't watched any of them in about 5 years but as i recall Ellis roughed him up pretty bad, then again he did the same to Bonavena too.

The lightly regarded Ellis was a real bad ass in his heyday and his lightning quick right could deck these ape-sized modern heavies pretty sharpish.

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 22 Nov 2006, 12:00

overhand_right wrote: The lightly regarded Ellis was a real bad ass in his heyday and his lightning quick right could deck these ape-sized modern heavies pretty sharpish.

You speak wisely overhand. Ellis is very underrated these days.

Jimmy Ellis KO3 over Wlad.

Sweet Scientist · Post by **Sweet Scientist** » 22 Nov 2006, 13:54

overhand_right wrote: As for Leotis, no way was he getting schooled by Sonny quite the opposite.

The last (and only) time I saw that fight was on live TV...and I could have sworn that Liston was both winning on points, and looking like the guy who was going to win easily...until he got clipped...

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 22 Nov 2006, 14:11

Well in that case your relying on a very, very distant memory.

It was a close scrap but Liston was wearing down and in the 8th was busted up something terrible.

Still the knockout was so shocking i can see how it could still seem 'out of the blue'!

dempseyfire · Post by **dempseyfire** » 22 Nov 2006, 16:09

overhand_right wrote:Joe-

My Isa savings account combined with your pension should cover a couple of Broomhandle Mausers and possibly a Luger and a gascape. I say we go to the BBC and slot whomever gives us less than straight answers regarding the storage of 60s fight reels.

As for Ellis/Martin yes i do own a copy & yes it is entertaining enough to seek out on DVD, as is the entire 7-fight 1968 WBA tourney. Haven't watched any of them in about 5 years but as i recall Ellis roughed him up pretty bad, then again he did the same to Bonavena too.

The lightly regarded Ellis was a real bad ass in his heyday and his lightning quick right could deck these ape-sized modern heavies pretty sharpish.

Ellis often gets under-rated b/c he was a small HW, even for that time. Yet after watching a fat old Toney school Sam Peter for much of their fight, I had to wonder what an in-shape, very tricky, lightening quick Ellis would have done to Sam.

Make mince meat out of the slow plodder!

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 22 Nov 2006, 16:13

dempseyfire wrote:Ellis often gets under-rated b/c he was a small HW, even for that time. Yet after watching a fat old Toney school Sam Peter for much of their fight, I had to wonder what an in-shape, very tricky, lightening quick Ellis would have done to Sam.

Make mince meat out of the slow plodder!

Absolutely right. In fact, just think what the 200 lb Toney who beat Jirov would have done to Peter. Toney was a MUCH better fighter at CW, and I can think of no benefit to the 40+ lbs of fat he carries inot the ring as a HW. Plus he’s now much older.

A prime Jimmy Ellis would have a pretty easy time with most of today’s top HWs.