Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri became IBF heavyweight champion of the world this past January. It did not take long at all for him to know who his first title defense would be against. Martin was on a plane the next month to the United Kingdom to promote his fight against unbeaten challenger Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) of the UK. The two will square off this Saturday at the O2 Arena (Millennium Dome), in Greenwich, London, England. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and will be aired on Showtime in the United States and Sky Sports in the UK Matchroom Boxing will promote the event.
It’s a bit rare to see two boxers in such a high profile fight at this stage of their careers. Circumstances are what brought this fight together in all reality. Neither guy has fought or beaten an elite fighter. This is a step up for both guys. Martin got his opportunity where he won his vacant world title after unified world champion Tyson Fury was stripped. Fury was unable to defend due to a contracted immediate rematch clause to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Joshua on the other hand was rapidly being built up into a top contender. The thinking here is that Joshua at home should be able to dethrone Martin at home. The oddsmakers agree as Joshua is a heavy betting favorite.
The bout didn’t take long at all. It pretty much became a numbers game and Matchroom obviously met Martin’s purse demands. You could say that it is a calculated risk because at the end of the day you have two heavyweight throwing some seriously hard punches and anything could happen. The flipside is Joshua is fighting at home where this will be the first time for Martin fighting outside the U.S. as professional in front of such a large audience. It’s easy to say that won’t be an issue until you enter that ring. This fight should answer a lot of questions that many have regarding both fighters. The overall bigger picture will see the winner have some very serious offers to entertain following their fight on Saturday.
