By Victor Salazar

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING opener, Charles Martin won the IBF Heavyweight World Championship when Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a right knee injury in the third round and was unable to continue.  The fight was scored a third round TKO (1:50) after Glazkov told referee Earl Brown that he was unable to continue.

 Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs), who was the aggressor throughout the fight, becomes the sixth southpaw heavyweight champion in boxing history and the second current American heavyweight titlist.

Glazkov (21-1-1, 13 KOs) slipped early in the third and seemed uneasy when he returned to his feet.  The previously undefeated Ukrainian continued fighting, but he fell to the canvas again while throwing a punch.  Replays confirmed that the right knee injury was a slip and wasn't the result of a connected shot from Martin.  After the fight, ringside doctor Gerard Verlotta confirmed to SHOWTIME Sports reporter Jim Gray that the injury was a torn right ACL.

"I still wanted to fight," Martin said.  "We trained for 12 rounds and we were going to get stronger as the rounds went on.  He just kind of twisted his ankle, it looked like.  But every time I hit him in the body and his legs were flying.  It's boxing,. That was a football injury.  I'm sorry for him.  It's unfortunate he couldn't continue the fight.

"I want to unify the titles.  We didn't even fight tonight.  I want another fighter.  I want Tyson Fury."

A dejected Glazkov pleaded his case for a rematch while being inspected by doctors in his locker room.

"This should have been my belt," Glazkov said.  "I already had him figured out. I slipped and felt a sharp pain in my right knee and felt it give it out.  I'm very upset. I want a rematch when I recover."