On April 9, Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) will challenge Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) for the IBF heavyweight world title. This will be a sure-fire sell out at the O2 Arena, and it will definitely be on PPV here in the UK.
It will almost certainly get picked up in the US as well (although I’d assume not on PPV). This has the feel of a pretty big event, despite the reality that it is two relative novices squaring off in a development bout.
But in heavyweight boxing, that no longer really matters. All that anyone cares about is bulging muscles, big punches and fireworks. This promises all of the above, plus the glamour of a legitimate domestic star (Anthony Joshua) and a world titlist (Charles Martin), so people will go ahead and hype this to the max.
If you remove the title from the equation, this is a good fight and a great test for both guys, in a matchup of two unbeaten prospects that are at a point that they need to start stepping up and facing tougher competition. This is exactly what both are doing, and regardless of who wins, it should really result in a step into the limelight and some tougher fights following on from this fight.
When you look at the resumes of both fighters, it’s clear to see that neither has been matched tough until their latest fights. If I had to choose, I’d probably say Joshua has the slightly better resume, but that’s in part because it’s hard to give Martin that much credit for his victory over Glazkov, which came as a result of Glazkov picking up a devastating knee injury in the third round of their fight.
On the other hand, Joshua fought a less accomplished opponent than Glazkov in Dillian Whyte, and got a stiff test before overcoming adversity and nearly decapitating Whyte with a brutal uppercut. Had Martin beaten Glazkov over the course of the fight and not won by technicality, I’d go with his win, but he didn’t.
Another point that jumps out when considering their resumes, is the one common opponent in Raphael Zumbano Love. Both fought the Brazilian heavyweight in 2015, with Joshua fighting him just three months after Martin, and both knocked him out. Martin took 10 rounds to knock Love out, while Joshua got the job done in two rounds. I’m not sure I’d look too deep into either victory, as Love wasn’t a stiff test for either, but it’s an interesting side note.
Both Joshua and Martin sneak into the TBRB (Transnational Boxing Rankings Board) top-10 heavyweight rankings, with Joshua at eight and Martin at nine. I’m not sure if either really qualify for a top-10 position, but equally, they’re close enough that I don’t care enough to argue about it. They’re welcome to slip in, and I’d say the winner of this fight will then have merited a top-10 ranking.
As I’ve said, this is really a fight between two prospects, and the real matchup is of the gaps in their games. Martin is heavy-handed, and is a big southpaw, something we don’t see so often at the top of the heavyweight division, so he’s got a few things in his favor. But he’s sloppy, and his footwork seems very deliberate and labored whilst also pretty poor.
I’d also add an asterisk to his KO record, as he’s starched a lot of lower-level opposition but we’ve not seen how heavy his hands are when he’s fighting someone that can really fight back. He’s also got a draw on his record against Alvaro Morales, a guy with a record of 6-12-6, 0 KOs, but that was earlier in his career, so we’ll let him off.
Joshua, on the other hand, has banged people out quickly and done really well with what he’s faced. The problem Joshua faces, is that what he faces has (Whyte excluded) been poor. He’s still early on in his development, so I don’t really hold it against him, but his inexperience may come back to bite him when facing top heavyweights.
He has some holes in his game, but most of all he seems incredibly robotic when he’s on the attack, and it seems like it’s all having to be thought out and processed whilst he pieces everything together punch by bunch. He doesn’t seem relaxed and able to ‘just box’. This is something that can be taught out of him, I believe, but it doesn’t help that he’s piling on more and more muscle, and steadily turning into an actual statue of a Greek god.
I think Joshua’s seen more than Martin, and his power is more “real,” and I think he’s better technically, faster on his feet and throws straighter punches. All of this will add up, along with a slight reach advantage, to make it very difficult for Martin to get inside and clock Joshua all that often. I see this going similar to Joshua versus Whyte, with Martin offering a few new looks for Joshua, and some excitement, before Joshua mows him down in the mid-to-late rounds.
Ultimately, this will be whipped up into a major event, as the big British prospect–and probably the closest to British boxing superstar right now–takes on the American “world heavyweight champion.”
It won’t matter that the real champion of the division is Tyson Fury, or that Deontay Wilder is easily the best American heavyweight right now, and that Charles Martin probably isn’t a top heavyweight and the only thing inflating his reputation is the title itself, which was won by default.
But there’s no harm with getting excited about big events, even if they’re bigger than they need to be. I plan on being there on April 9. It’s going to be a hell of an atmosphere, and the chances are we’ll get some fireworks and home win!
