By: Sean Crose
The Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio hosted an ESPN/Top Rated game Saturday night featuring former world champion Charles Martin and local athlete Jared Anderson in a ranking match. 10 scheduled innings. It promises to be a good test for rising Anderson and a defining moment in the career of former champion Martin. However, in the first match, undefeated 15-0 heavyweight Raphael Akenjiore faced Arslanbek Makhmudov 16-0 in a scheduled 10th round.
Makhmudov overwhelmed his opponent from the start, dropping Akenjiore twice in the first round. Thanks to his credit, Akenjiore was able to survive the opening chapter. However, an explosive headbutt rocked Akenjiore in the second inning. After a while, the man lay down again. Akenjiore got up again, but basically in an act of humanity, the referee stopped the game.
Next, the 8-0 lightweight Abdullah Mason knocked out Alex de Oliveira 20-4 in the scheduled 6th round. Mason got to work in the opening half, unleashing sharp shots from behind a Southpaw jab. De Oliveira played offensively in the second half, but Mason could have been injured, then dropped his man in the final seconds of the round. The referee was wise and immediately stopped the game. Needless to say, it’s time for the main event.
Anderson 14-0 is significantly smaller than Martin 29-3-1, who spent the first time trying to maintain range. Anderson spent the second part of the George Patton regime, constantly moving forward. By the last minute of the round, Martin was repeatedly hit hard. Things go pretty slow in season three. It is clear that Martin hopes to frustrate, then ultimately win over his man. However, in the final seconds of the round, Martin was knocked down. He quickly got to his feet, but Anderson’s point was made.
Martin was still able to land Marin in game four. He also displays some good defensive skills in dodging Martin’s remarkable power. As powerful as those skills were before, they didn’t stop Anderson from rocking in the fifth round. Martin proceeded to unload his men. Anderson made it through the ring, but things definitely took an unexpected turn. In recognition of his credit, Anderson had a better sixth goal thanks to his slot. However, Martin can still land well in some cases.
Both men had their moments in season seven, but Anderson did better in this chapter. This is one of those matches where a knockout could happen at any moment, or both men could run out of gas in the later innings. The eighth round is similar to the previous rounds in that Anderson will shoot more efficiently, but Martin can still catch up to his opponent. Anderson combined his punches well in the ninth round. However, Martin caught Anderson at the end of the round
By the tenth, however, it was clear that Martin had run out of ideas. He certainly had his moments, but the final fight went to hometown hero Anderson, who won with a score of 98-91, 99-90 and 99-90 by the referee.
