Anthony Joshua to fight Charles Martin for IBF title

[ross]

Martin v Joshua April the 9th for the IBF!

[Master]

Anthony Joshua to fight Charles Martin for IBF title

Britain's Anthony Joshua will fight reigning champion Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title at London's O2 Arena on 9 April.

American Martin, 29, has won 23 and drawn one of his 24 fights and beat Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant IBF belt in January.

Joshua, 26, most recently beat Dillian Whyte with a seventh-round knockout to claim the British heavyweight title.

The Olympic champion has 15 knockouts from 15 professional fights.

Tyson Fury was stripped of the IBF title after he opted for a rematch against Glazkov's Ukrainian compatriot Wladimir Klitschko rather than face the mandatory challenger.

On 10 February, Fury named Martin alongside WBC title-holder Deontay Wilder and Klitschko as three boxers he wanted to fight in 2016.

Anthony Joshua to fight Charles Martin for IBF title - BBC Sport

[Primo Carnera]

Definitely the right call from Hearn/AJ. You get a chance, go for it. It's not an easy fight, certainly not as easy as the bookies are making out, but it's a massive opportunity.
And for all those people who say, "he should be taking it slower, it's too big a jump," well at the level he's at, and the level he's going to, there are no easy fights. Good luck to him.

[Mark TKO]

Martin's record very similar to Joshua really so I guess does make sense

I would have had another fight first mind

[VG_Addict]

Not an easy fight for Joshua. He's never fought a big, tall southpaw.

[p4pking]

Good stuff, credit to both guys for getting it done. I pick Joshua, wouldn't be surprised if he blew him out but also could see him struggling if he isn't able to do that. Martin is just decent, but he is about the same size and a lefty, has a jab and some power so it's interesting.

[Master]

These are 2 undefeated youngish contenders not really for the real world title. When was the last time this has happened?

[Kirkland Laing]

I just heard. I know it's February but doesn't Wembley have a roof? I'm not sure they'd fill it but they can definitely make it worth hiring it.

I've not seen Martin other than his last fight but he's a big bugger and he's southpaw and got power. It's not like Joshua wouldn't get opportunities in the future for titles so this is a hell of a risk for such a big heavyweight prospect.

Has Haye announced his next opponent yet? If he hasn't he'll be having a good look at the IBF top contenders to see if he can make a date with them I'm sure.

[Tam Seddon]

It took Martin 10 rounds to knock out that stiff Love...

[Spicoli]

Good on Martin for traveling into his backyard and putting it out there, though he probably didn't have any say in the matter. Good fight at early stage for both and think its a coin toss. Martin has some rounds Joshua is lacking, first southpaw and pressure on Joshua at home just as much I think.

[Spicoli]

I just heard. I know it's February but doesn't Wembley have a roof? I'm not sure they'd fill it but they can definitely make it worth hiring it.

I've not seen Martin other than his last fight but he's a big bugger and he's southpaw and got power. It's not like Joshua wouldn't get opportunities in the future for titles so this is a hell of a risk for such a big heavyweight prospect.

Has Haye announced his next opponent yet? If he hasn't he'll be having a good look at the IBF top contenders to see if he can make a date with them I'm sure.

If Haye would just stay active and should Joshua take the trinket, they may just see fit to put Haye in one of those infamous "Not rated" slots in the ibf.

[imp]

He should have went european title then world...ah well..lets see how he deals with southpaws.

[Dark Lord Al]

Should be interesting as both are pretty raw and unproven.

[imp]

Haye must be loving this..

[IamInuit]

Is he more Bruno or more Tyson? Perhaps a mix of the two? I think his chin is suspect and Martin can crack. He's got nothing to lose and he knows it. That’s a great place to be as far as head space goes. He reminds me a little of Ron Lyle. On any given day......

Joshua has to be able to beat this guy if he is who many think he is but talk about pressure. Already people in boxing media and forums are acting as if this will be some tempest in a tea pot. This is a dangerous fight and nobody really knows anything about Martin. This fight has upset the apple cart all over it. In the end even if such a perceived upset were to happen, it wouldn’t hurt Joshua unless he was blasted out on points. People would simply say he was rushed.

Glad they took this and common sense prevailed.