What if Charles Martin was the WBC champ?

[Fenster]

Probably, as the step-aside money needed would probably be manageable. The IBF/Bob Arum/Pulev would probably accept $10 million (which is ball park what he'd make against AJ). The WBO/Uysk $10 milllion.

Martin's purse? Lets say $30 million (conservative estimate considering it's a fantasy scenario).

So $50 million in the hole before they start (less than half the $120m Wilder refused).

Yeah it's an expensive way to get 4 belts but they'd probably do it.

And then everyone would claim Joshua ducked Uysk and Pulev to face phony champion Martin.

If AJ did do all that and beat Martin to become the WBC champion he could do what Lennox (and most of the other fighters that become undisputed champion) did and relinquish/sell off the titles one by one to the highest bidder to make some money back. Lennox got a reported $1 million and a Range Rover from Don King to give up his WBA title.

AJ would keep the one title and he would be regarded as the best and all champions/contenders have to go through him to be considered the best.

It is an investment worth making and no one could really call him a ducker.

Hold up... does Wilder exist in this fantasy world where Martin is WBC champ? Because if he does you would consider him the best fighter, right, regardless of Martin being WBC champion.

So AJ would be the four belt unfied champion of the world. However, he'd still need to defeat Wilder to become no.1, right? And then there's Uysk? Kowanaki? And two dozen other guys considered better than Martin?

Here's the reality - Wilder can duck Joshua for the rest of his life but the spin job done has been so brilliant (along with his own ability to produce highlight reel KO's) that Joshua will always be seen as the ducker. It literally doesn't matter how much money Wilder gets offered Joshua is always to blame. Why? Because he's a million times bigger star. Simple. And meanwhile Wilder can claim to be THE champion to his American audience whilst cashing a few million per fight and claiming Joshua is scared of him.