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Ringside Report Looks Back at the Late Tough World Title Challenger Jerry “The Bull” Martin (1953-2021)



By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Just last year Philadelphia lost one of its own. On the 11th of April 2021, news came through that 67-year-old Jerry “The Bull” Martin 25-7, 17 KOs, had passed. His professional career straddled the late 1970s and into the early 80s and though he never managed to get himself a world title, he did get three shots at glory, and a couple of iconic fights – none for reasons you might think.

Martin, born on the West Indies Island of Antigua made his professional debut on the 25th of February 1976, at home in Philly, when he blasted Sixto Martinez out in the first round. Martinez was never there to test him but when towards the end of 1978, when he went in with Jerry Celestine, people sat up a little straighter when he beat Celestine over 8 rounds.

The vacant NABF light heavyweight title was his in 1979 with his 12th round stoppage of Dale Grant before he added the USBA title to the NABF title 12th round split decision points win over Jesse Burnett in November 1979, three months later.

It was all looking good but one of the fights that was to propel his name into the limelight came when he fought the man who was making his name whilst serving a prison sentence: Rahway inmate James Scott.

Today it might be hard for us to work out how it is possible that someone who was incarcerated could continue to box and make his way in the sport. Given the number of sportsmen whose liberty has been lost and their careers stopped, simply because the deprivation of your liberty is… exactly that… the deprivation of your freedom, we just have to accept it was more complex times… and here I thought they were supposed to be simpler…

So, for his next fight he was sent to prison…

Scott had strung together wins against some of the biggest names in the light heavyweight division btu then he came up against Martin. Over 10 rounds Martin beat him and earned his first world title shot on the 24th of March 1980, having dropped Scott twice in the fight, he took the win on points. Despite the fact that he was to go in and fight for the world title on three occasions, Martin always considered that this was his marquee fight. As his former promoter explained to the Philly News sometime later, “That was one of the highlights of my career, and it certainly was the highlight of Jerry Martin’s career,” recalled Martin’s promoter, J Russell Peltz in an interview with Philly News. “For Martin to go in there and be the first guy to take that monster down was just an amazing thing. Nobody knew who Martin was outside of Philly, even though the WBA had him rated No. 2 at light-heavyweight Scott had already beaten Richie Kates. He had beaten Eddie Gregory, Yaqui Lopez, Bunny Johnson and Jerry Celestine. When they were looking around for someone to keep him busy until he could get a title fight – not that either champion [the WBC’s Matthew Saad Muhammad or WBA’s Eddie Mustafa Muhammad] is likely to have gone into the prison to fight him, and Scott wasn’t allowed to fight on the outside – I suggested Martin. Nobody gave him a chance. But Martin went in there, knocked Scott down in each of the first two rounds and won a clear-cut decision. It was one of those moments that makes boxing special.”

As for Martin, in the same article in the Philly News he was to admit, “People thought of him as Superman,” Martin said. “Everyone was afraid to fight him. I was, too. But the thing that helped me is that you had to go into the prison the day before for the weigh-in, and that settled me down. I realized I was going in there to do a job, like for any other fight. Fighting Scott inside the prison was a big advantage for him. You couldn’t help but be a little bit nervous.” Given the opportunities to come, it is probably right that Martin never fought a more important fight and never managed to reach the heights of media attention, and this was the first of two big nights for him. The second was still to come and wait till you hear why it was important…

His first world title opportunity came against Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for the WBA title on the 20th of July 1980, at the Great George Playboy Club. He was to fall short with a 10th round stoppage win for Muhammad.

Martin was not daunted, and he was back in for a world title just over a year later. It was an all Philly affair as he faced Matthew Saad Muhammad In Atlantic City on the 26th of September 1981. It was a barnstormer of a fight that saw Martin threaten, the champion dominate, Martin rally, and then in the 11th round, referee Larry Hazard stepped in and stopped it. Martin had fallen short once more. This time round, however, there were plenty who felt this was more than premature and plenty others who were fans of the champion who knew he had been very fortunate that night.

His third and final world title challenge needed no warm-up fights and on the 21st of March 1982, Martin stepped in the ring against Dwight Muhammad Oawi in his next contest. This time in Las Vegas, Martin was stopped in the 6th but drew the following praise from his opponent, “I hit this man with stuff that would have put a hole through a brick wall. Then I saw him getting up, and I thought, ‘What am I in for.”

Three world title shots, though unsuccessful was a fantastic record and Martin, kept going. Six more fights with five wins and then the loss that brought the curtain down – against Prince Mama Mohammed, on the 10th of April 1984, he retired permanently from the inside of the ring.

But I promised you another marquee fight and that came when we got to see him in the UK. Martin fought in London, against Otis Gordon at the Bloomsbury Hotel in London. We were not impressed as he headlined the event and his promoter, Frank Warren said, in 2011 to British boxing journalist, Steve Bunce, “It was terrible, a boring fight, but I was off, I had started.” It was future Hall of Famer, Frank Warren’s first ever contest as a licensed promoter. And form that stinker greatness has come…

In retirement he often spent time at ringside at local events and fights and his smile lit the room up, just like his career had, in the midst of one of the golden ages of light heavyweight boxing. He was himself inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame but as he was being inducted, he was not well. He was suffering from congestive heart failure, whilst living on welfare.

His loss was heart felt, his legacy secure but let me leave you with his w=own words which were spoke to that interview in the Philly Times. “”Even if it is true, I was never officially the world champ, some people recognized me as such when I beat Scott, because he had knocked out Eddie Gregory right before I beat Scott.” He was the man who beat the man who… and the fighter in his heart that we can all appreciate.