# Carlos Ortiz (boxer)

Carlos Ortiz (9 September 1936 – 13 June 2022) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He held world titles in lightweight and light welterweight weight divisions. Along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfredo Gómez, Héctor Camacho, José Torres, Edwin Rosario and Wilfred Benítez, Ortiz is considered among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts. As of January 2018, Ortiz holds the record for the most wins in unified lightweight title bouts in boxing history at 10.
In 1991, Ortiz was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2002, Ortiz was voted by The Ring magazine as the 60th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. He held 21st place in BoxRec ranking of the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time.

## Boxing career

Ortiz, born in Ponce, started his professional career in 1955 with a first round knockout of Harry Bell in New York City. He moved from Puerto Rico to New York before he began boxing as a professional, he would campaign there during the first stages of his career. After 9 bouts there, he fought outside New York for the first time, moving to Massachusetts to knock Al Duarte out in 4 rounds. His next 3 bouts were also outside New York, but he stayed within the confines of New England, as they happened, once again in Massachusetts, and in New Jersey.
He returned to New York again and won 4 more bouts in a row, then made his California debut, beating Mickey Northrup by a decision in 10 rounds. 2 more fights in California and one in New York went by, after which he returned to California to meet Lou Filippo, who was subsequently inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a referee. The first time, it was declared a no-contest after 9 rounds, but in the second, Carlos prevailed, by a knockout in 9. 5 more wins followed, and then he met Johnny Busso, who handed Carlos his first loss, on a 10-round decision. That fight was held in New York, and in an immediate rematch between Ortiz and Busso, Carlos won, also by a 10-round decision, and also in New York.
Next Carlos flew to England to meet Dave Charnley, who was considered one of the top challengers of that time. Ortiz won the fight at Harringay Arena on a 10-round decision, after which promoters thought he was ready for a world title try.

### Junior welterweight world champion

Carlos met Kenny Lane for the vacant world Jr. Welterweight title, in New York on the night of 12 June 1959. Lane had handed Carlos his second loss months before, winning a 10-round decision over Ortiz in Florida. This time, Carlos became the World's Jr Welterweight champion, with a TKO of Lane at the end of 2nd round. Ortiz became the first Puerto Rican world boxing champion since Sixto Escobar more than 30 years before, and only the second Puerto Rican world boxing champion ever. Unfortunately for him, not much importance was being given to that division at the time, since that division's title had been vacant for 13 years. But Carlos defended his title twice, knocking out the respected, until then undefeated Mexican puncher Battling Torres in Torres' home ground of Los Angeles, and beating Duilio Loi in 15 rounds by decision at San Francisco.
His next fight was a rematch with Loi, and it took Ortiz to Milan, Italy to defend his crown. This time, it was Loi's turn to become a world champion, winning by a 15-round decision.
After another win, Ortiz traveled to Milan once again, and met Loi in a rubber match. This time, he lost again, by 15-round decision.

### Lightweight world champion

Instead of going up in weight, like most boxers throughout history have done after losing the title in their original division, Ortiz went down in weight, and challenged world champion Joe Brown (also a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame). Ortiz won a 15-round decision over Brown on 21 April 1962 in Las Vegas, to win his second world title, this time in his second championship division. Ortiz defended with a 5-round knockout of Teruo Kosaka in Tokyo before making his Puerto Rican debut, with a 13-round knockout win over Doug Valiant to retain his title on 7 April 1963 in San Juan.
A knockout win in 14 rounds over another Hall of Famer, Gabriel Elorde, Flash in the Philippines followed, and then a rematch with Lane, this time Ortiz retaining his world Lightweight title with a 15-round decision in San Juan. But in 1965 he went to Panama and fought yet another member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Ismael Laguna who defeated him in 15 rounds to claim Ortiz's world Lightweight title. A rematch in San Juan followed, and Ortiz regained the world Lightweight title beating Laguna by a 15-round decision also.
1966 saw Ortiz draw with world Jr Welterweight champion Nicolino Locche in a ten-round non-title affair in Argentina, and retain his title vs Johnny Bizarro (KO in 12 in Pittsburgh), Cuban Sugar Ramos (another International Boxing Hall of Fame Member, KO in 5 rounds in Mexico City), and Filipino Flash Elorde, also by KO in 14 at a New York rematch. The Ramos fight proved controversial, because the WBC's president proclaimed at first that the punch with which Ortiz had beaten Ramos had been illegal, but he later reconsidered and gave Ortiz the title, and the knockout victory, back, with the condition that a rematch be fought in the future.
And so 1967 came, and Ortiz and Ramos met once again, this time in San Juan. Ortiz retained the title by a knockout in 4 rounds, and this time the bout went without any controversies. Then, he and Laguna fought a third time, and Ortiz retained his title by a 15-round decision in New York.

### Later career

29 June 1968 proved to be Ortiz's last day as a world champion, as he lost his world lightweight title to Dominican Carlos Cruz on a 15-round decision in the Dominican Republic. Ortiz kept on fighting, but he never got another chance at a world title. He retired after losing at Madison Square Garden by a knockout in 6 rounds to Ken Buchanan. It was the only time he was stopped in his career. His final record was of 61 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with one bout declared a no-contest and 30 knockout wins.
Ortiz is also a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and he always enjoyed taking photos with his fans and signing autographs for them.

## Death

Carlos Ortiz died on 13 June 2022, in New York at age 85.

## Professional boxing record

| 70 fights | 61 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 30 | 1 |
| By decision | 31 | 6 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| 70 | Loss | 61–7–1 (1) | Ken Buchanan | RTD | 6 (10) | 20 Sep 1972 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 61–6–1 (1) | Johnny Copeland | KO | 3 (10) | 1 Aug 1972 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 60–6–1 (1) | Gerardo Ferrat | TKO | 3 (10) | 3 Jun 1972 | International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 59–6–1 (1) | Greg Potter | UD | 10 | 1 May 1972 | Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. | |
| 66 | Win | 58–6–1 (1) | Junior Varney | TKO | 7 (10) | 20 Mar 1972 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 65 | Win | 57–6–1 (1) | Leo DiFiore | KO | 2 (10) | 19 Feb 1972 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 64 | Win | 56–6–1 (1) | Ivelaw Eastman | TKO | 2 (10) | 31 Jan 1972 | Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 63 | Win | 55–6–1 (1) | Terry Rondeau | TKO | 4 (10) | 20 Jan 1972 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 54–6–1 (1) | Bill Whittenburg | KO | 7 (10) | 8 Jan 1972 | Coconut Grove Convention Center, Coconut Grove, Florida, U.S. | |
| 61 | Win | 53–6–1 (1) | Jimmy Ligons | TKO | 3 (10) | 1 Dec 1971 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 60 | Win | 52–6–1 (1) | Edmundo Leite | MD | 10 | 21 Nov 1969 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 59 | Loss | 51–6–1 (1) | Carlos Teo Cruz | SD | 15 | 29 Jun 1968 | Estadio Quisqueya, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Lost WBA, WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 58 | Win | 51–5–1 (1) | Ismael Laguna | UD | 15 | 16 Aug 1967 | Shea Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained WBA, WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 57 | Win | 50–5–1 (1) | Sugar Ramos | TKO | 4 (15) | 1 Jul 1967 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and The Ring lightweight titles Won vacant WBC lightweight title |
| 56 | Win | 49–5–1 (1) | Flash Elorde | TKO | 14 (15) | 28 Nov 1966 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained WBA and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 55 | Win | 48–5–1 (1) | Sugar Ramos | TKO | 5 (15) | 22 Oct 1966 | El Toreo, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 54 | Win | 47–5–1 (1) | Johnny Bizzarro | TKO | 12 (15) | 20 Jun 1966 | Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 53 | Draw | 46–5–1 (1) | Nicolino Locche | MD | 10 | 7 Apr 1966 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| 52 | Win | 46–5 (1) | Ismael Laguna | UD | 15 | 13 Nov 1965 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 51 | Loss | 45–5 (1) | Ismael Laguna | MD | 15 | 10 Apr 1965 | Estadio Nacional de Panamá, Panama City, Panama | Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 50 | Win | 45–4 (1) | Dick Divola | TKO | 1 (10) | 14 Dec 1964 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 44–4 (1) | Kenny Lane | UD | 15 | 11 Apr 1964 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 48 | Win | 43–4 (1) | Flash Elorde | TKO | 14 (15) | 15 Feb 1964 | Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines | Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 47 | Win | 42–4 (1) | Maurice Cullen | PTS | 10 | 22 Oct 1963 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K. | |
| 46 | Win | 41–4 (1) | Pete Acera | TKO | 7 (10) | 18 Sep 1963 | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 40–4 (1) | Doug Vaillant | TKO | 13 (15) | 7 Apr 1963 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and The Ring lightweight titles; Won vacant WBC lightweight title |
| 44 | Win | 39–4 (1) | Teruo Kosaka | KO | 5 (15) | 3 Dec 1962 | Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Retained NYSAC, WBA, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 43 | Win | 38–4 (1) | Kazuo Takayama | UD | 10 | 7 Nov 1962 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 42 | Win | 37–4 (1) | Arthur Persley | UD | 10 | 1 Aug 1962 | Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines | |
| 41 | Win | 36–4 (1) | Joe Brown | UD | 15 | 21 Apr 1962 | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 40 | Win | 35–4 (1) | Paolo Rosi | UD | 10 | 18 Nov 1961 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 34–4 (1) | Doug Vaillant | UD | 10 | 2 Sep 1961 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 38 | Loss | 33–4 (1) | Duilio Loi | UD | 15 | 10 May 1961 | San Siro, Milan, Lombarida, Italy | For NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 37 | Win | 33–3 (1) | Cisco Andrade | UD | 10 | 2 Feb 1961 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 36 | Loss | 32–3 (1) | Duilio Loi | MD | 15 | 1 Sep 1960 | San Siro, Milan, Lombardio, Italy | Lost NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 35 | Win | 32–2 (1) | Duilio Loi | SD | 15 | 15 Jun 1960 | Cow Palace, San Francisco, California | Retained NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 34 | Win | 31–2 (1) | Battling Torres | KO | 10 (15) | 4 Feb 1960 | Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Retained NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 33 | Win | 30–2 (1) | Kenny Lane | TKO | 2 (15) | 12 Jun 1959 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won vacant NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 32 | Win | 29–2 (1) | Len Matthews | TKO | 6 (10) | 13 Apr 1959 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 31 | Loss | 28–2 (1) | Kenny Lane | MD | 10 | 31 Dec 1958 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 28–1 (1) | Dave Charnley | PTS | 10 | 28 Oct 1958 | Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K. | |
| 29 | Win | 27–1 (1) | Johnny Busso | UD | 10 | 19 Sep 1958 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 26–1 (1) | Johnny Busso | SD | 10 | 27 Jun 1958 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 26–0 (1) | Joey Lopes | UD | 10 | 9 May 1958 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 25–0 (1) | Tommy Tibbs | UD | 10 | 28 Feb 1958 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 24–0 (1) | Harry Bell | UD | 10 | 23 Sep 1957 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 23–0 (1) | Felix Chiocca | UD | 10 | 29 May 1957 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 22–0 (1) | Ike Vaughn | UD | 10 | 7 May 1957 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 21–0 (1) | Lou Filippo | TKO | 7 (10) | 9 Apr 1957 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 21 | NC | 20–0 (1) | Lou Filippo | ND | 9 (10) | 2 Mar 1957 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Bobby Rogers | UD | 10 | 23 Jan 1957 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Gale Kerwin | UD | 10 | 31 Dec 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Philip Kim | TKO | 9 (10) | 15 Dec 1956 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Mickey Northrup | UD | 10 | 27 Oct 1956 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Tommy Salem | SD | 10 | 30 Jul 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Tommy Salem | PTS | 6 | 25 May 1956 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Ray Portilla | PTS | 8 | 17 Feb 1956 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Ray Portilla | UD | 8 | 9 Jan 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Charley Titone | TKO | 2 (8) | 10 Dec 1955 | Armory, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Lem Miller | PTS | 8 | 12 Nov 1955 | Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Al Duarte | TKO | 4 (6) | 29 Oct 1955 | Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Leroy Graham | KO | 2 (6) | 3 Oct 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Hector Rodriguez | KO | 2 (6) | 19 Sep 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Armand Bush | PTS | 6 | 22 Aug 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Tony DeCola | PTS | 6 | 10 Aug 1955 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jimmy DeMura | PTS | 6 | 24 Jun 1955 | War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Juan Pacheco | KO | 2 (4) | 30 May 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Danny Roberts | KO | 3 (4) | 13 May 1955 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Morris Hodnett | TKO | 1 (4) | 28 Feb 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Harry Bell | KO | 1 (4) | 14 Feb 1955 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NYSAC lightweight champion (135 lbs)
* NBA (WBA) lightweight champion (135 lbs) (2×)
* WBC lightweight champion (135 lbs) (3×)
* NYSAC light welterweight champion (140 lbs)
* NBA (WBA) light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring lightweight champion (135 lbs) (2×)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed lightweight champion (3×)
* Undisputed light welterweight champion

## Legacy

He is recognized at Ponce's Parque de los Ponceños Ilustres in the area of sports.