Hearn turns down title shot for AJ???

[Vendettos]

Charles Martin: Anthony Joshua Scared To Fight on April 9 - Boxing News
So what do we think about this? It's interesting if it's true. I know Hearn wants to build AJ Gradually, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself when you least expect it. And sometimes you have to take that opportunity.
Charles Martin is a decent fighter, but if you want to be World Champion, there are more difficult propositions. AND he wanted to come over here.

He just had his first decent test and he was rocked pretty badly.

I can understand why they'd avoid this fight mate.

[Vendettos]

Charles Martin: Anthony Joshua Scared To Fight on April 9 - Boxing News
So what do we think about this? It's interesting if it's true. I know Hearn wants to build AJ Gradually, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself when you least expect it. And sometimes you have to take that opportunity.
Charles Martin is a decent fighter, but if you want to be World Champion, there are more difficult propositions. AND he wanted to come over here.

He just had his first decent test and he was rocked pretty badly.

I can understand why they'd avoid this fight mate.

Also it isnt like itll be hard for AJ to get a few shots at a world title throughout his career.

[Primo Carnera]

Charles Martin: Anthony Joshua Scared To Fight on April 9 - Boxing News
So what do we think about this? It's interesting if it's true. I know Hearn wants to build AJ Gradually, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself when you least expect it. And sometimes you have to take that opportunity.
Charles Martin is a decent fighter, but if you want to be World Champion, there are more difficult propositions. AND he wanted to come over here.

He just had his first decent test and he was rocked pretty badly.

I can understand why they'd avoid this fight mate.

Also it isnt like itll be hard for AJ to get a few shots at a world title throughout his career.

Yeah , he will get plenty of opportunities, agreed. But whether any are as Winnable as this , I'm not sure.
I don't mean to disrespect Martin , because I haven't seen a lot of him, and he does look decent. But, 3 months ago, when he wasn't champ, I don't think people would've been over worried if AJ had him lined up as his next opponent.
It's not like he won in outstanding fashion. not his fault , but it was pretty bizarre and proved nothing about him.
say for instance, AJ won, he'd be champ, he won't be going straight in with Wlad, Wilder or Fury, it never works like that. He would have 2 or 3 relatively straightforward defences to build his profile even further. He would still only be fighting the top guys at the same time as he's looking now , except it would be as a unification as an established champion rather than as a challenger.

[p4pking]

I don't see it as a gimme for Joshua, has he ever even fought a southpaw before? Martin isn't special, but he's pretty decent, is about the same size as AJ exactly and does have a bit of a punch. If you think Dillian Whyte was some monster and AJ is ready for anyone after that fine, but I don't buy it just yet. That was a very good fight, but not a terrific showing imo.

[Fenster]

"World" champion calling out a prospect?

They're gonna need a bigger venue than the O2 when AJ fights for a "world" title.

[Primo Carnera]

I don't see it as a gimme for Joshua, has he ever even fought a southpaw before? Martin isn't special, but he's pretty decent, is about the same size as AJ exactly and does have a bit of a punch. If you think Dillian Whyte was some monster and AJ is ready for anyone after that fine, but I don't buy it just yet. That was a very good fight, but not a terrific showing imo.

I don't think it's a gimme, far from it. But it's a World Title shot, so it's never gonna be a gimme. It's a fair point about him being a Southpaw. But again, if this fight was made 3 months ago as a learning fight with a Good Southpaw, bearing in mind everyone wants AJ to get rounds, I'm not sure too many people would've complained.

[IamInuit]

People don’t take risks in this market. Like I've said, it’s become a caricature of itself. I agree with @Primo Carnera 110%. You need to grasp these chances and at this point even if he lost it wouldn’t hurt him. Later it could ruin his career. People are talking about Bruno's comeback and the comparisons have been made but Frank given the same circumstances would have taken this fight. Risk and Reward and the fundamentals it stands for in this sport have eroded. It’s now a rape of the rewards w/o any risk. Nobody had ever heard of Martin and his title fight was viewed as a joke because of the opponents and because it was a throwaway title by Fury. Now it’s too big a risk for boxing’s newest deliverer of heavyweight purgatory. And to offer to come to England, I already like the guy. Big deal that Whyte gave him some issues. Joshua probably fought that fight on nervous energy and the event however trivial to the outside world occupied much of his because of the past. It wasn’t Mayorga/Forrest.

[Master]

I think it is sensible not to rush AJ to the world level. He does not want to be another Wilder making east defences and still learning his trade defending the title. Joshua is still relatively inexperienced.

[Ron Swanson]

People don’t take risks in this market. Like I've said, it’s become a caricature of itself. I agree with @Primo Carnera 110%. You need to grasp these chances and at this point even if he lost it wouldn’t hurt him. Later it could ruin his career. People are talking about Bruno's comeback and the comparisons have been made but Frank given the same circumstances would have taken this fight. Risk and Reward and the fundamentals it stands for in this sport have eroded. It’s now a rape of the rewards w/o any risk. Nobody had ever heard of Martin and his title fight was viewed as a joke because of the opponents and because it was a throwaway title by Fury. Now it’s too big a risk for boxing’s newest deliverer of heavyweight purgatory. And to offer to come to England, I already like the guy. Big deal that Whyte gave him some issues. Joshua probably fought that fight on nervous energy and the event however trivial to the outside world occupied much of his because of the past. It wasn’t Mayorga/Forrest.

The fights are all shit and the fans are all making the point that it should be shit. Seriously, nearly everyone here agrees NOT TO TAKE THE TITLE FIGHT. All the logical replies that can be made can't get around the fact there is not one fight on the horizon where you think "these are the 2 best without question, this was the fight that needed to happen". It's hard to care about this sport in the slightest with how badly it is rigged these days. Worst era ever

[TitoFan]

People don’t take risks in this market. Like I've said, it’s become a caricature of itself. I agree with @Primo Carnera 110%. You need to grasp these chances and at this point even if he lost it wouldn’t hurt him. Later it could ruin his career. People are talking about Bruno's comeback and the comparisons have been made but Frank given the same circumstances would have taken this fight. Risk and Reward and the fundamentals it stands for in this sport have eroded. It’s now a rape of the rewards w/o any risk. Nobody had ever heard of Martin and his title fight was viewed as a joke because of the opponents and because it was a throwaway title by Fury. Now it’s too big a risk for boxing’s newest deliverer of heavyweight purgatory. And to offer to come to England, I already like the guy. Big deal that Whyte gave him some issues. Joshua probably fought that fight on nervous energy and the event however trivial to the outside world occupied much of his because of the past. It wasn’t Mayorga/Forrest.

Boxing will eventually consist of champions and prospects alike fighting "risk-free" opposition, while big money fights are left to "marinate" (coined by ODLH?). The buildup to big fights will totally overwhelm the actual fights themselves. Marinating will eventually become "rotting", as time will come and go and fighters will continue their endless holding patterns. Every time a glitch appears in one of their fights, their handlers will go "OOPS..... not yet." Fans will grow old and die, and we'll just continue making threads of "What if X fought Y..... who would win?"

That's why I stick to football.