Charles Martin and Gerald Washington probably shouldn’t have been in an IBF heavyweight eliminator tonight, but they were, and Martin stopped Washington at 1:57 of the sixth round to earn a future shot at the belt he won and lost within 84 days in 2016.
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Martin (28-2-1, 25 KO) didn’t do anything spectacular tonight, really, but he mostly controlled the pace and distance of the fight against Washington (20-4-1, 13 KO), looking to set up a big left hand. In the sixth round, the opening presented itself, he cracked Washington clean, and Washington went down. He did get up, but was unsteady and stopped by referee Tony Weeks.
The 33-year-old Martin, who was the first fighter to pass a world title to Anthony Joshua back in 2016, has now won three straight against low-to-mid-level opposition, but sanctioning bodies are weird. Kubrat Pulev, who is facing Joshua next, is the current IBF mandatory, so the IBF likely won’t force a Martin shot until 2021, but he’s got it in the bank now.
The 37-year-old Washington, who came up short in a WBC title bid against Deontay Wilder in 2017, is 2-4 in his last six fights.