Ortiz knocks down fellow great Flash Elorde in January 1966. Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
86 years ago, one of the greatest all-around boxers ever produced by the boxing-mad island of Puerto Rico was born.
Carlos Ortiz was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on September 9, 1936. He began his professional career in 1955 with a first-round knockout victory in New York City, where he campaigned for most of his life. Four years later, he had compiled a record of 30-2 when he faced Kenny Lane in a rematch of an earlier majority decision loss. This time he stopped Lane in two rounds and in the process became a junior welterweight world champion.
He lost and regained that title in 1960 and 1961 respectively, as part of a trilogy against Italy’s Duilio Loi in which the Puerto Rican champion won the first fight and then the deciding match.
Just three fights after that, Ortiz traveled to Las Vegas to decide on Joe Brown and take his Ring lightweight belt, which he would defend against Teruo Kosaka, Doug Valliant, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde and his old foe Kenny Lane before handing it over. and retrieve it. immediately before the great Panamanian Ismael Laguna in two grudge matches.
After a non-title draw against defensive wizard Nicolino Locche in Argentina, Ortiz defended his belt five times against Elorde, Laguna, Johnny Bizzarro and Sugar Ramos (twice) before turning it over to Teo Cruz in 1968, in an upset.
Cruz went on to win ten more in a row before losing to future lightweight champion Ken Buchanan and subsequently retiring in 1972. His loss to Buchanan in six rounds was the first time Ortiz had not answered the final bell in a bout, and only once. of his other six losses. it was by unanimous decision (the rest were majority or split verdicts).
Ortiz finished his career with a record of 61-7 with 30 knockouts. He died on June 13, 2022 in New York at the age of 85. He had been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991 and is still considered one of the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfredo Gómez. , Héctor Camacho, José Torres, Edwin Rosario and Wilfred Benítez, among others.
