Joshua vs Martin; A heavyweight clash may happen

[Larrylefthook]

This Martin guy...shaking my head at how a nondescript paper titlist can work his way into the picture like this, but whatever, kudos if he actually wants this fight. Joshua rolls right through him. AJ will take care of all these chumps and the new heavyweight era will be defined alongside the other real fighters in the division like Haye, Parker, and maybe Wilder and Fury. Can't wait!

Parker's a hype job.

Because he went 8 with Bergman?

He seems pretty good to me, though not at the same level as AJ.

I think Parker is rather good too, he's more fluid then AJ he looks a more natural boxer.

[asdfjkl]

Sounds cool, but what will happen after this fight? Can he still choose fighters outside of the top 15 from the IBF?

[Sklar]

Is Joshua ready to be let of the leash? Who knows. Everyone is a little bit different.

Mike Tyson held the WBC and had fought Pinklon Thomas and was preparing for Tony Tucker when he'd been a pro for the same length of time as Joshua.

Selected others at the approximate same stage of career (in terms of time).

Lennox: was preparing for Biggs.

Wlad: had just beaten Purity.

Vitali: was beating Youla and approaching Hide.

Foreman: Leroy Caldwell (11-9-1).

Clay/Ali: had beaten Archie Moore and would fight Cooper within a few months.

Fury': Chisora 1.

Marciano: Jimmy Evans (18-7).

Holmes: Ernie Smith (3-3).

Louis: Al Ettore (56-7-2).

Bowe: Had already beaten Biggs and Tubbs.

[Boxerbeetle]

Is Joshua ready to be let of the leash? Who knows. Everyone is a little bit different.

Mike Tyson held the WBC and had fought Pinklon Thomas and was preparing for Tony Tucker when he'd been a pro for the same length of time as Joshua.

Selected others at the approximate same stage of career (in terms of time).

Lennox: was preparing for Biggs.

Wlad: had just beaten Purity.

Vitali: was beating Youla and approaching Hide.

Foreman: Leroy Caldwell (11-9-1).

Clay/Ali: had beaten Archie Moore and would fight Cooper within a few months.

Fury': Chisora 1.

Marciano: Jimmy Evans (18-7).

Holmes: Ernie Smith (3-3).

Louis: Al Ettore (56-7-2).

Bowe: Had already beaten Biggs and Tubbs.

Wlad didn't beat Purity, he lost.

[Sklar]

I know. Rushing typo.

[Rob3_142]

Is Joshua ready to be let of the leash? Who knows. Everyone is a little bit different.

Mike Tyson held the WBC and had fought Pinklon Thomas and was preparing for Tony Tucker when he'd been a pro for the same length of time as Joshua.

I think it is fair to say that Mike Tyson was cut from different cloth to Joshua. He was an absolute animal and would chew people and spit them out. Will we ever see another Mike Tyson in boxing terms? I really hope so, but one imagines we never will again.

Imagine Mike Tyson in his prime in the ring with Tyson Fury? He'd almost have a full foot on him. Could you image the build up to that one?!

[Bard of Boxrec]

Is Joshua ready to be let of the leash? Who knows. Everyone is a little bit different.

Mike Tyson held the WBC and had fought Pinklon Thomas and was preparing for Tony Tucker when he'd been a pro for the same length of time as Joshua.

Selected others at the approximate same stage of career (in terms of time).

Lennox: was preparing for Biggs.

Wlad: had just beaten Purity.

Vitali: was beating Youla and approaching Hide.

Foreman: Leroy Caldwell (11-9-1).

Clay/Ali: had beaten Archie Moore and would fight Cooper within a few months.

Fury': Chisora 1.

Marciano: Jimmy Evans (18-7).

Holmes: Ernie Smith (3-3).

Louis: Al Ettore (56-7-2).

Bowe: Had already beaten Biggs and Tubbs.

Odd to consider him fighting Charles Martin as being 'let off the leash'.

The division is dire. The 'world class' level isn't some impregnable echeleon that talented novices need to be 'ready' for beyond what Joshua has already shown. He would beat the likes of Pulev and Scott tomorrow. That's right, MALIK SCOTT is a top ten heavyweight by Boxrec's reckoning. Martin hasn't even done as much as those sorry excuses for top talent in this division.

[Nightmare Roy]

Not bad for a 16th fight though.

[Rob3_142]

Odd to consider him fighting Charles Martin as being 'let off the leash'.

The division is dire. The 'world class' level isn't some impregnable echeleon that talented novices need to be 'ready' for beyond what Joshua has already shown. He would beat the likes of Pulev and Scott tomorrow. That's right, MALIK SCOTT is a top ten heavyweight by Boxrec's reckoning. Martin hasn't even done as much as those sorry excuses for top talent in this division.

I think the rankings are a little unbalanced at the moment, maybe even going through a state of transition, and I think it's a bit naive to call the top 15 'World Class' level. With the likes of Joshua, Parker, maybe to a lesser extent Hughie fury, Whyte and Breazeale, coming through, the rankings could look very different in 12-18 months time. Fighters like Pulev, Scott, Martin, Cunningham could all slip down to gatekeeper status.

I for one am pretty excited to see what could happen in that time.

[Bard of Boxrec]

Not bad for a 16th fight though.

It's fine. Gets him a 'title', more exposure and the train rolls on. These chumps need to be assessed on an absolute scale rather than a relative one, like they are 'world class' by default or something. Most of the top lot today would be fringe contenders at best in other eras.

[Davidreed]

It seems all very vague at the moment. Just hurry up and get a fight made so we can all slag off Hearn!

Hearn will continue its habits.....

[Rob3_142]

It seems all very vague at the moment. Just hurry up and get a fight made so we can all slag off Hearn!

Hearn will continue its habits.....

It has to be today.....surely?

[freddydoesdallas]

I honestly can't believe that we have people on here saying that Joshua should not take him on because of what he might have to do if he wins!

He's on PPV, he's got a world title opportunity against the weakest champion, both fighters will no doubt earn a few quid and most importantly, it is near enough justifiable to stick this on ppv!

C'mon lads, we're fight fans not promoters. How can we expect promoters to put on competitive fights when we're giving them plenty of reasons to avoid it and take our cash as we're bent over begging for more!

[Rob3_142]

I honestly can't believe that we have people on here saying that Joshua should not take him on because of what he might have to do if he wins!

He's on PPV, he's got a world title opportunity against the weakest champion, both fighters will no doubt earn a few quid and most importantly, it is near enough justifiable to stick this on ppv!

C'mon lads, we're fight fans not promoters. How can we expect promoters to put on competitive fights when we're giving them plenty of reasons to avoid it and take our cash as we're bent over begging for more!

I understand your point of view, but once he reaches that level of defending champion, there's little room for improvement because every fight after that is a world level fight. Fighting lower ranked fighters, albeit good fighters, allows you to develop your skills and technique. He is still only 15 fights into his pro-career, and is still a novice. He only stepped up his opposition in his last three fights.

It'll come don't you worry!

[freddydoesdallas]

I honestly can't believe that we have people on here saying that Joshua should not take him on because of what he might have to do if he wins!

He's on PPV, he's got a world title opportunity against the weakest champion, both fighters will no doubt earn a few quid and most importantly, it is near enough justifiable to stick this on ppv!

C'mon lads, we're fight fans not promoters. How can we expect promoters to put on competitive fights when we're giving them plenty of reasons to avoid it and take our cash as we're bent over begging for more!

I understand your point of view, but once he reaches that level of defending champion, there's little room for improvement because every fight after that is a world level fight. Fighting lower ranked fighters, albeit good fighters, allows you to develop your skills and technique. He is still only 15 fights into his pro-career, and is still a novice. He only stepped up his opposition in his last three fights.

It'll come don't you worry!

Who cares, we're constantly being told he's world class and will dominate for years to come plus we're paying extra to watch him in action.

If he's good enough, great. If not, ah well, he's been a world champion.

If he doesn't take this opportunity then matchroom are using him to defraud the population

[Rob3_142]

I honestly can't believe that we have people on here saying that Joshua should not take him on because of what he might have to do if he wins!

He's on PPV, he's got a world title opportunity against the weakest champion, both fighters will no doubt earn a few quid and most importantly, it is near enough justifiable to stick this on ppv!

C'mon lads, we're fight fans not promoters. How can we expect promoters to put on competitive fights when we're giving them plenty of reasons to avoid it and take our cash as we're bent over begging for more!

I understand your point of view, but once he reaches that level of defending champion, there's little room for improvement because every fight after that is a world level fight. Fighting lower ranked fighters, albeit good fighters, allows you to develop your skills and technique. He is still only 15 fights into his pro-career, and is still a novice. He only stepped up his opposition in his last three fights.

It'll come don't you worry!

Who cares, we're constantly being told he's world class and will dominate for years to come plus we're paying extra to watch him in action.

If he's good enough, great. If not, ah well, he's been a world champion.

If he doesn't take this opportunity then matchroom are using him to defraud the population

I don't think we're being told he's world class. He's a world class prospect. And he could well dominate for years to come, but that's just speculation at the moment. From a sporting perspective throwing him into the wolves is poor move. Martin is not the concern, as I think most inside the top 50 can knock him over. The Fury's and the Wilder's are the ones to watch, and the ones that Joshua needs to prepare for.

From a business perspective, he's guna sell PPV whoever he fights, so I don't think it's a massive concern who he fights right now. And when you consider how big of a fight an undefeated Fury is against an undefeated Joshua to unify the world championships would be, that's why preparation is key. It's also why you're not managing AJ's career

[the_doctor]

I honestly can't believe that we have people on here saying that Joshua should not take him on because of what he might have to do if he wins!

He's on PPV, he's got a world title opportunity against the weakest champion, both fighters will no doubt earn a few quid and most importantly, it is near enough justifiable to stick this on ppv!

C'mon lads, we're fight fans not promoters. How can we expect promoters to put on competitive fights when we're giving them plenty of reasons to avoid it and take our cash as we're bent over begging for more!

I understand your point of view, but once he reaches that level of defending champion, there's little room for improvement because every fight after that is a world level fight. Fighting lower ranked fighters, albeit good fighters, allows you to develop your skills and technique. He is still only 15 fights into his pro-career, and is still a novice. He only stepped up his opposition in his last three fights.

It'll come don't you worry!

Who cares, we're constantly being told he's world class and will dominate for years to come plus we're paying extra to watch him in action.

If he's good enough, great. If not, ah well, he's been a world champion.

If he doesn't take this opportunity then matchroom are using him to defraud the population

Even by internet forum standards that's quite an exaggeration

It's not as if only World Title fights are PPV-worthy. I thought Joshua/Whyte was a good scrap and worth the fee. Plenty of world title fights have failed to live up to their billing and vice versa.

As for the hype surrounding Joshua - there has been plenty of talk about how he could dominate, but even the best champions needed time to learn and develop.

I think there are quote a few people out there who want him to skip the steady progression and lose, so they can say "I told you so" at the first available opportunity.

[Rob3_142]

I understand your point of view, but once he reaches that level of defending champion, there's little room for improvement because every fight after that is a world level fight. Fighting lower ranked fighters, albeit good fighters, allows you to develop your skills and technique. He is still only 15 fights into his pro-career, and is still a novice. He only stepped up his opposition in his last three fights.

It'll come don't you worry!

Who cares, we're constantly being told he's world class and will dominate for years to come plus we're paying extra to watch him in action.

If he's good enough, great. If not, ah well, he's been a world champion.

If he doesn't take this opportunity then matchroom are using him to defraud the population

Even by internet forum standards that's quite an exaggeration

It's not as if only World Title fights are PPV-worthy. I thought Joshua/Whyte was a good scrap and worth the fee. Plenty of world title fights have failed to live up to their billing and vice versa.

As for the hype surrounding Joshua - there has been plenty of talk about how he could dominate, but even the best champions needed time to learn and develop.

I think there are quote a few people out there who want him to skip the steady progression and lose, so they can say "I told you so" at the first available opportunity.

[freddydoesdallas]

Who cares, we're constantly being told he's world class and will dominate for years to come plus we're paying extra to watch him in action.

If he's good enough, great. If not, ah well, he's been a world champion.

If he doesn't take this opportunity then matchroom are using him to defraud the population

Even by internet forum standards that's quite an exaggeration

It's not as if only World Title fights are PPV-worthy. I thought Joshua/Whyte was a good scrap and worth the fee. Plenty of world title fights have failed to live up to their billing and vice versa.

As for the hype surrounding Joshua - there has been plenty of talk about how he could dominate, but even the best champions needed time to learn and develop.

I think there are quote a few people out there who want him to skip the steady progression and lose, so they can say "I told you so" at the first available opportunity.

You think a fight between those 2 fellas was worth paying more for on top of what you pay per month to sky? The same as the fee that you paid for Hatton v Mayweather, Lewis v Holyfield, Khan v Prescott (i jest).

It's no wonder why they charge so much when there are so many people willing to hand over there hard earned. This was a fight where Joshua was something like 1/10 to win. Whyte put up a decent showing and we saw a few flaws in Joshua but it was by no means ppv worthy (i watched it in a pub).

I'm not skint, i'm not especially tight with money or anti ppv. However, i do like to get value for my money. If we have another Olympic heavyweight champion when is it too soon to put him on ppv? Do we start at fight 10, fight 5, his debut? Hell we may as well take a big risk and put the gold medal match on ppv!

I do want Joshua to succeed, i'm sure it's not down to him that he's on ppv although his purse demands might add to it. However, i'm not willing to support him with my money until he's in what i consider to be a ppv worthy fight.

We're fans, we shouldn't care too much about the longer term business plans, that's what managers are for. We should be wanting our fighters to push on and fight the best to prove they are the best. When Hatton was about, i was mad for him to fight Mayweather & Pacquiao as i thought he had the tools to beat them. Didn't care that he might lose. I might be on my own on this but i'd rather be this way than be the equivalent of a Liverpool or Arsenal fan talking about 'net-spend' and how financial planning is more important than instant success!

[the_doctor]

It's no wonder why they charge so much when there are so many people willing to hand over there hard earned. This was a fight where Joshua was something like 1/10 to win. Whyte put up a decent showing and we saw a few flaws in Joshua but it was by no means ppv worthy (i watched it in a pub).

But you've just made my point for me - 400,000+ people thought it was worth it. Plus the thousands more (including yourself) who decided to watch it or show it in pubs/bars/clubs.

This is the problem with the PPV argument - it's subjective. I thought it was worth the money, you didn't. Neither of us is right or wrong, it's opinion.

As a result, Joshua should be developed in just the same way Lewis was, Fury was, Wlad was etc. If the population deem the fight PPV worthy then it will be PPV. If the population feel they are being defrauded then nobody will pay and the PPV model won't work.

Just out of interest, who would you be willing to pay £16/17 to watch fight Joshua in April?

[Sklar]

Just out of interest, who would you be willing to pay £16/17 to watch fight Joshua in April?

Eddie Hearn.

[chrisnew86]

It's no wonder why they charge so much when there are so many people willing to hand over there hard earned. This was a fight where Joshua was something like 1/10 to win. Whyte put up a decent showing and we saw a few flaws in Joshua but it was by no means ppv worthy (i watched it in a pub).

But you've just made my point for me - 400,000+ people thought it was worth it. Plus the thousands more (including yourself) who decided to watch it or show it in pubs/bars/clubs.

This is the problem with the PPV argument - it's subjective. I thought it was worth the money, you didn't. Neither of us is right or wrong, it's opinion.

As a result, Joshua should be developed in just the same way Lewis was, Fury was, Wlad was etc. If the population deem the fight PPV worthy then it will be PPV. If the population feel they are being defrauded then nobody will pay and the PPV model won't work.

Just out of interest, who would you be willing to pay £16/17 to watch fight Joshua in April?

I honestly think most Boxing fans because they dont have a lot of choice or at least they think they don't. The love for Boxing is strong and they cave in on the night, thats what i use to do anyway.

Get rid of Sky, get a droid box and enjoy

[Boxing Prospect]

Who in the top 15 should Joshua be worried about? ...and who from the IBF top 15 wouldn't be regarded as a developmental fight anyway?

[littlepug]

I don't want to pay ppv for anyone if I can help it but unfortunately im a boxing fan and as such I just have to suck it up and fork out, wouldn't mind as much if we were paying for elite fighter v elite fighter (may v pac ) instead of prospect v prospect (Joshua v whyte) or belt holder v fringe contender ( clev v bellend ), greedy bastards

[Rob3_142]

I was personally a lot more aggrieved to pay £18 for Mayweather v Pacquiao than I was to pay for Joshua v Whyte. What's the bigger profile fight? Doesn't always live up to it, does it? What about Fury v Klitchko? I thought Joshua v Whyte was better than that too.

At the end of the day, they'll make it PPV if people will buy it, and it proved they would. If we was that pissed off about it being PPV, we wouldn't purchase it, but we do. The moment that the public has had enough of paying extra for some matches, they'll stop buying it, and it'll stop being PPV. It just followed the demographic at the time. I'd prefer it to be free, but it just isn't.