Charles Martin Feels He Would Have Shocked Wilder: He Lacks in A lot of Areas

Charles Martin explains that he was involved in negotiations to fight Deontay Wilder in a battle of former world champions.

Those negotiations were derailed when Wilder secured a legal victory at arbitration to force a trilogy fight with WBC world champion Tyson Fury.

Wilder would eventually face Fury in October. He dropped Fury twice, but ultimately was knocked out in the eleventh round. 

Martin will return to the ring on Saturday night, when he faces dangerous puncher Luis Ortiz in a high-stakes fight. The fight has been sanctioned as an IBF world title eliminator.

“It would have been a great opportunity,” Martin told Sky Sports about facing Wilder. ”I always knew there was a possibility that things wouldn’t go in my favor, but I had still prepared myself mentally.

“I was able to treat it like a championship fight. I gave 100 percent effort even knowing there was a possibility it could fall through.”

If the fight with Wilder would have gone forward, Martin believes that he would have exposed Wilder’s flaws.

“He lacks in a lot of areas. I am pretty difficult to hit. You can’t hit me flush because I never just come in [straight]. I am always strategic,” Martin said.

Martin was also in talks to face former unified champion Andy Ruiz.

That fight also fell out, when Ruiz underwent surgery to correct a knee injury.

“I shot him a personal DM,” Martin said about Ruiz Jr. “He left it unread. We were training for it. The next thing? He had a surgery.

“Now I pray for no crazy calls saying that Ortiz is injured. Andy knew I would have whupped his ass. That’s why he didn’t answer me. Because he knew that he didn’t want to fight me.”

Martin has been out of the ring since February of 2020, when he knocked out Gerald Washington.