Former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin has been around the block more than a few times, but he’s ready to explore a new avenue with Zuffa Boxing. Martin has been away from the ring for more than a year. But when the opportunity arose to get back into active competition with Zuffa Boxing, he leapt at the chance. “It means everything, man,” said a grateful Martin.“I’m very thankful for Dana White and Zuffa Boxing for putting on these amazing fights, starting something amazing (and) giving back to the guys like me that’s at the end of my career. I could have been done, and it would have been over without the help of him. So, I'm very thankful.”
Martin’s new career opportunity means guaranteed fights, and that’s something he hasn’t been too accustomed to over the last decade of his career. “It means everything, for the most part, because I finally got a fight scheduled. They actually give me something to look forward to,” he explained. “Back when I was with traditional boxing, it was kind of like you fight, and then you're unemployed for two years, so it's hard to be motivated and stay in the gym and stay in shape. So, with this being said, I'm gonna stay in shape, man. You know, I'm a high performance Ferrari car so, you know, we're gonna keep it that way.”
Martin may have been away from the ring, but he’s been rebuilding himself as an athlete. Now aged 39, he knows more than ever the importance of staying in shape, particularly as a heavyweight, and he’s put in countless hours in the gym to ensure that he has arrived in Las Vegas for fight week in tip-top form. “It’s always like that. It’s an up and downhill battle, not knowing when's your next time to get back out there and perform. So that was always a struggle for me,” he said.“But, as I get older, I'm realizing, like, hey, health is wealth, you know? I mean, I stay in shape, I eat healthy. So it kind of ties into what I do for a living. So, yeah, it made it that much easier. For instance, this camp, I came in 70 percent in shape. So that made a world of a difference (compared to) when I’d came in at 272 pounds before fights and I’ve gotta fight the scale and train. It’s f***ing hard.
“The last year I've been training. I've been lifting weights all year (and) doing cardio, so it's easy, man. This camp was a breeze. I remember back when I was like an amateur and how things used to just flow, and I could go right into a fight and execute. I feel like that again… I take accountability fully for everything that happens in my life, because I'm the captain of the ship. This is what it is, and this is me standing here right now today, and I'm just thankful, and I'm gonna keep putting in the work until I hang them up.”
It’s a refreshing mindset from an athlete who is fully aware of his advancing age in the context of his career but has made key changes to give himself the best possible chance of success. The new and improved Martin will step into the ring at the Meta APEX on Sunday night when he headlines against hard-hitting Nigerian contender Efe Ajagba in a matchup that could move the winner towards a shot for the Zuffa heavyweight title further down the line.
As comeback fights go, it’s anything but a tune-up, but it’s a challenge Martin is clearly relishing. “He’s good, dude. But you know, he's just in front of me, and I got to keep moving forward. So with that being said, we go in there, seek and destroy, man. Happy hunting.”
As for the hunt itself, Martin has his plan all mapped out, and it finishes with a knockout, and his hand being raised in victory. "I'm just gonna systematically break him down,” he predicted. “I got a lot of tools in my arsenal, so break him down and get him out of there. We don't plan on going 10 rounds, so we gonna make this a knockout. I gotta get this knockout, a spectacular knockout, because I want all the bonuses, I want all the good shit, I want all the praise, and I want the big fights.”
Martin is confident he can get all of the above, based on the tools he’ll carry into battle on Sunday night. With 27 of his 30 career wins coming by knockout, the punch power is certainly there. But now, with Martin newly dedicated to his fitness and speed, he said he’ll enter the Meta APEX as dangerous as he’s ever been in his professional career.
“I’m so light on my feet, man. I’m like a cruiserweight in a heavyweight body,” he explained. “I'm 255 pounds, but I'm definitely moving like a cruiserweight, and I'm cracking like a heavyweight, so that’s a great combination. You can't hit what you can't see. (I’m) very fleet footed, light on my feet, and I'm punching hard, so y’all get ready, man. Stay tuned.”
Martin has been working on his mindset through reading philosophy, which has given him a fresh perspective on his career. But he’s also more than aware that for any pro fighter to have any sort of success, you still have to put in the hard yards in the gym. On that side of things, he’s confident he’ll step into the ring without any rustiness from his time away.
“Oh, ring rust? Well, I got 129 rounds of sparring in the bank, so I doubt if I have any ring rest,” he smiled. “I'm gonna go in there and get the pop in that jab, and moving and sticking and moving and looking. One thing about it, man, when you got a nice arsenal, you have a lot of tools. So I'm really gonna just make the man miss, and then I'll be able to make him pay. Once I know I can make you miss, I'll make you pay. I guarantee I'll make you pay!”
Martin’s return to the ring offers him the chance to win some new fans, while reminding some of his old ones that he’s still got plenty to offer at the sharp end of the heavyweight division.
“’He's back, and he's better than ever.’ You know what I mean?” he grinned. “I'm focused, I'm older. See, a lot of times, the window shuts on people. You get too old and the window shuts. I was blessed enough, you know, God, genetics, whatever you want to call it, but you know, I'm here, and I have all the knowledge of a 40-year-old man in a 29-year-old body.
“It's a blessing, man. This ain't me. This is God, man. This is destiny, and this is the vehicle that’s gonna get me to where I want to go in life. I have a lot of plans that I want to do and a lot of people that I need to help.”
