The announcement yesterday that Britain’s Anthony Joshua will fight IBF world heavyweight champion, Charles Martin for the championship belt on April 9th is an interesting progression for the well liked Londoner in what will be the first international heavyweight title
The 29 year old American who recently won the IBF belt after Tyson Fury was stripped of it, has won 23 and drawn one of his 24 fights to date. He beat Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant IBF belt in January. Fury was sitting on three of the world championship belts following his defeat of Wladimir Klitschko last November, but after Fury did not defend that belt in January, American Charles Martin fought and beat Vyacheslav Glazkov for the belt.
Martin subsequently choose to have his first defense against Joshua most likely because it was the most lucrative fight out there for him as a first defence, and the fact that victory over Joshua will instantly win him many of the British fans to add to his American audience. That strategy may well backfire because Joshua, who is unbeaten in 15 fights, is an explosive force whose handlers believe he will win.
Indeed, some of Joshua’s frailties were exposed in his last fight against Dillian White, though it is worth saying that White is a very good fighter with much potential. Victory for Joshua in his first world title fight will make him the most loved British champion ever, and sideline Fury who may now wish he had defended the IBF title rather than get stripped for concentrating on a rematch with Klitschko, which is yet to take place.
Tyson Fury is not viewed by many as a serious world champion, though his dethronement of Klitschko cannot ignored. However, considering the fact Klitschko is old at 39 years of age, it would have been worth Fury fighting and defending the IBF belt to prevent it slipping into some other hands, like Joshua, in the process creating another world champion to rival the status of Fury. Fury turned the fight down against Glasgov for his IBF title because he had a rematch clause against Klitschko which he did not want to jeopardize by defending the IBF belt. The rematch with Klitschko is expected to be worth more than the original £5m Fury got for facing Klitschko.
However, the type of world champion boxing fans want is the one who would be confident of successfully defending the IBF title in those circumstances, and who would risk losing the lucrative rewards of a rematch against Klitschko in the event of defeat. Fury was not that man, and hence Joshua has seized the opportunity of being the type of world champion British fans want. In a statement about the forthcoming title fight, Joshua said:
“Fighting for the heavyweight world title has been a dream of mine since I turned professional,” said Joshua, who won gold at the London Olympics.
“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to turn that dream into reality. Martin is a great fighter and a hungry competitor so I am going to have to produce the performance of my career to claim that belt.”
The fight will be Martin’s first bout outside of the US and he has threatened to “knock out” Joshua.
He said: “I’m coming to the UK to make a statement that I am the best heavyweight in the world and no-one is taking my title.
“I’m world champion, so that doesn’t mean just sit back and make easy defenses in the US. It means facing the biggest challenges out there.”
