Matthew Saad Muhammad vs. Jerry Martin
Matthew Saad Muhammad 172 lbs beat Jerry Martin 172 lbs by TKO at 0:28 in round 11 of 15
- Date: 1981-09-26
- Location: Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
- Referee: Larry Hazzard
- Judge: Harold Lederman 95-95
- Judge: William Kostrub 96-94
- Judge: Richard F Murry 97-93
- WBC World Light Heavyweight Title (8th defense by Saad Muhammad)
- Promoter: Murad Muhammad (M&M Sports)
- Aired On: ABC Wide World of Sports (Main Event)
Bout Summary
Martin scored in the early rounds by punching at Muhammad's body, drawing two warnings for low blows. But by the third round, Muhammad woke up and stepped into the center of the ring, measuring Martin with long lefts. As the fight progressed, it became clear that Martin had been duped into punching himself out in the early rounds. Although Muhammad had the advantage, he failed to score a knockout against Martin on at least four different occasions when the challenger seemed vulnerable. By the ninth round, both fighters were exhausted, although Muhammad had the edge with his long-range lefts. Martin made a strong showing in the 10th by pushing Muhammad around the ring with combinations to the body. Referee Larry Hazzard stopped the scheduled 15-round bout at 28 seconds into the 11th round after Muhammad threw two rights to Martin's chin, dazing the challenger.
Notes
- Martin entered as the WBC #2 light heavyweight contender.
Post-Fight Quotes
- "Muhammad had begun to get to Martin and Martin was fighting out of desperation. Martin's hands went down and he staggered. He was a sitting duck. His eyes went up and he was hurt," Larry Hazzard said.
- "He was hurt. He was hurt," Matthew Saad Muhammad told the disgruntled crowd of about 800 high-rolling gamblers at the Golden Nugget casino hotel.
- "I counted one, two, three, four, five, six. I can count. I was all right," Jerry Martin said.