Conversation so far:
who was the lightweight world champion before carlos ortiz?
world champion Joe Brown.
champion of what?
a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
what award did he win?
A knockout win in 14 rounds over another Hall of Famer, Gabriel Elorde, Flash in the Philippines followed.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
Ortiz retained his title by a 15-round decision in New York.

Question: who was he fighting?
Self-contained rewrite: Who did Carlos Ortiz fight in New York when he retained his World Championship by a 15-round decision?