Martin v Joshua April the 9th for the IBF!
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Martin v Joshua April the 9th for the IBF!
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
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.
Martin's record very similar to Joshua really so I guess does make sense
I would have had another fight first mind
Not an easy fight for Joshua. He's never fought a big, tall southpaw.
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.
These are 2 undefeated youngish contenders not really for the real world title. When was the last time this has happened?
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.
It took Martin 10 rounds to knock out that stiff Love...
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
He should have went european title then world...ah well..lets see how he deals with southpaws.
Should be interesting as both are pretty raw and unproven.
Haye must be loving this..
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.
Joshua was reckless against Whyte and he probably learned a lesson that you cant go all out against better opposition.
It is a good matchup between 2 unproven HW'S .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al
Yea I agree with that, but I feel like if Martin does well in this fight it's not going to be in a shoot out anyways. He hasn't faced better opposition than AJ himself, but he fights pretty conservatively so I could see him doing better or having more of a chance the deeper it goes. I wouldn't be surprised to see Joshua go all out and win any more than I would to see him be patient and win a decision or get a late stoppage, I think. It's a good fight because just about any result wouldn't be a big surprise.
AJ for this match Martin will be lucky to last 6 rounds I have seen nothing in Martins ring generalship
a good match well worth watching, maybe a start to a more exciting HW division.
I'm glad they got it done. Martin may be cashing out but he is undefeated and is still an unknown commodity.
Joshua couldn't really pass it up.
Two heavy's going at it with the winner emerging as a contender.
I thought my thread titled "Fair play to Joshua and Hearn" had been deleted until I realised someone had just taken it upon themselves to change the fucking title!
Is this a dictatorship or what!
;D
None taken master;D
Tbf, the Winner emerges as the World Champion. I know what you're saying , but according to the Governing Bodies and their rankings , Joshua already IS a contender (don't quite know who he has beat to get that high in the rankings though) and Martin IS World Champion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lineal
After all, are we saying Quigg and Frampton are Contenders?
It's just how it is nowadays.:)
This is a situation where the silly alphabet belt massively elevates the fight - for hardcore fans as well as casuals.
Most people won't have a danny what the difference is between Fury and AJ being world champ.
wont have any idea
From a fan perspective, should be 10 times more entertaining than the recent Fury-Wlad fight.
I hope it's televised live in the US.
They might make him Interim Emeritus champion. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by SpicoliIf 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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
If Hearn, Joshua and Haye want it they'll find a way to rank him or make him mandatory even if he fights Roy Jones in March. him mandatory if
I don't see Martin going past 3 rounds. Martin has not faced anyone at the level of Joshua. He's been calling out Joshua, well
https://behapy.s3.amazonaws.com/79/4...47/default.jpg
Because that's a decision Martin will regret. He could have easily cashed out and fought a few Derek Chisora's type fighters (And I not even sure he would beat Chisora). But fair play to him he's taken on the most dangerous young heavyweight out there, when there were surely easier assignments he could have took but I don't see this as a dangerous fight at all for Joshua.
I think Martin has done really well combining his career as a celebrity Chef with boxing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nuggetdotcom
I did notice he doesn't look much like his brother and fellow chef James Martin.
I think its a big set up from the start me
soon as fury won the title the IBF knew they wanted AJ as their champ
Here's a question, apart from Pete Rademacher and Leon Spinks, has anyone ever fought for a heavyweight title with less fights?
Or to pit it another way ...... The guy has actually only completed 17 rounds as a professional fighter.
Lol Jeanette and Mcvey went a shade below 50 in one fight. You tweaked my curiousity so I did a quick comparison. Joshua has fought 32 rounds in 15 fights. Tyson fought 22 rounds in 15Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Tyson got his title shot in his 28th fight and after two back to back 10 rounders against Tillis and Green he still only fought 76 rounds.
At the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries there are all kinds of people who got shots at the title with less rounds. Some even in their debuts lol . And of course the challenges to champions when the title was not on the line in those years when only one belt existed were plenty.
Martin is muck. Easy title for Joshua. KO in 2 or 3. Martin taking a payday thats all.
Although the WBO title didn't have the clout it does now, Michael Bentt was having his 12th pro fight (46 rounds) when he chinned Morrison.
Its all moving towards a Joshua (if he wins) versus the winner of Haye Fury fight. Three mega money boxing events, and all in the UK. And the next ten years will be carefully selected title fights against Lucas Browne or Derek Chisora (and maybe David Price).Quote:
Originally Posted by Silkeyjoe
Sold out the O2 Arena in London in 90 seconds and yet again a Hearn promotions tickets were well over 3 times the face value within seconds of going "officially on sale"
StubHub online who the Hearns have "business interests" with have mugged off punters once again and more than tripled the gate revenue.
We had a look in work for a laugh at 2 ringside tickets going for £5,800 with a massive £900 "booking fee" ....!!!!
Yes thats £900 for a telephone operator to take your credit card details and secure your tickets which is no different to what I do daily with my account holders in work and takes no more than 2 minutes.
Martin is unbeaten in his 24 fights but believes he has been denied the adulation that Joshua has received from the boxing world.
"I want what he's got - the praise, the attention, and the fans," the 29-year-old Missouri native said.
Anthony Joshua says he is "ready to rock and roll" when he fights American Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title on 9 April.
Joshua, 26, has won all of his 15 professional fights by knockout.
Joshua told BBC Sport: "[Mike] Tyson took 28 [fights before becoming world champion], [Muhammad] Ali 20, I think Lennox [Lewis] was 24.
"Some will say it's too soon, [but] opinions are irrelevant - I have to do what I feel is right."
Martin, who beat Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant IBF belt in January, is unbeaten in 24 fights while Joshua most recently beat Dillian Whyte with a seventh-round knockout to claim the British heavyweight title.
"Experience is valuable," Joshua conceded. "I've been in the Olympics, big British dust-ups, I've gone through these feelings, these emotions, these expectations.
"The reason I'm here so soon is because of what I had to go through early on in my career, and what I have to take with me on 9 April [is] that belief in myself that I'm here, I'm capable and I'm ready to rock and roll."
"I don't take the glamour and all that stuff. I don't soak it in, I just go back to that tough grimy kid from the block, from the boxing gym, trying to make a way. That's what I do in preparation - go back to the roots."
Martin said Joshua had faced easy opponents in his professional career but admitted the same charge could be levelled at himself.
"The past is the past," Martin said. "The record, putting [Joshua] in with guys who were tailor-made for him to lay down - we've both had those people in our past and that doesn't matter. What matters now is there are two hungry fighters in there wanting to win."
Anthony Joshua 'ready to rock' ahead of Charles Martin world title fight - BBC Sport
Hearn is getting tiresome.
Hes forgetting hes supposed to be promoting a fighter and not his business takings.
He sits there and starts off a presss conference to a world title fight telling everyone how quickly he sold how many tickets!!
Charles and Anthony (sounds like an early nineties regae pop band) must have been sitting there wondering what the fuck he was going on about.
Its not "Anthony Joshua has earned this title shot because of his skills and hes so very exciting".
Its "Anthony has sold me this many tickets and im going to gloat but it doesnt make Anthonys purse any bigger in anyway"
You and Master are both right of course, what a state! I have to say I hope Joshua wins just to keep the title UK side, sad.Quote:
Originally Posted by ross