How many fights does Anthony Joshua need under his belt before challenging for a world title? Just fifteen devastating knockout performances apparently. The Heavyweight uber-prospect will be taking on newly-crowned IBF champ Charles Martin on April 9th, with London’s O2 Arena set to host the Sky Sports-televised event.
Threat not, US fight fans – I’m pretty sure a stateside network will soon swoop in to provide coverage. And as you poor Brits, you’ll probably find yourselves having to shell out for a £19.95 PPV price tag. But you probably knew that already.
OK, so what’s the scoop with this fight? Joshua is a British behemoth who has been sending shockwaves through the pro division since winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics. And, in case you’ve been living in a cave, Joshua, standing at 6’ 6” and built like a nightmare, looks to be on course to do some scary damage on the world scene in 2016/17.
But will Joshua live up to fight fan’s and promoter Eddie Hearn’s lofty expectations? Maybe that question can’t be fully answered just yet as it’s kind of premature. But we can discuss Joshua’s chances against Martin, an unbeaten 6’ 5” heavy-handed IBF titlist.
Personally, I don’t see too many reasons why Joshua shouldn’t be able to leave the O2 with Martin’s title. Mainly because Martin, while possessing pretty numbers on his record, is yet to prove himself as a legitimate threat. Yes, Martin is a world champion, but close followers of the glamour division know the circumstances behind how that accolade arrived: when opponent Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a knee injury.
Martin wasn’t to blame for that disappointing result in January, but it hasn’t exactly done his reputation any favors with the Heavyweight community. Is Martin better than Dillian Whyte, the first man to take Joshua beyond three rounds last December? As a boxing fan, you’d certainly hope the answer is a resounding yes.
Going in, Joshua holds a perfect 15 wins, 15 knockouts, and Martin 23 wins, 21 knockouts and 1 draw.
What are your thoughts on Anthony Joshua vs Charles Martin? Has Martin been targeted due to being one of the least statistically threatening champions? And what’s your fight night prediction?
