Anthony Joshua vs. Charles Martin (c) - April 9th 2016

[johnswan1]

I wonder what Martin's excuse will be if he gets blown away:

I meant to say "I walk this earth like cod".

[dookus]

A lot hinges on what kind of chin Martin has. We still don't have any real information on that - for all we know he is Tex Cobb in that area.

I would wager that Martin plans to fight long and take things into the later rounds. He has been 10 rounds once (albeit against the uninspiring Love) and looks to have a decent work rate. The question is if he can avoid getting caught for that long and what happens if he can't.

Joshua is unquestionably the better puncher, has the edge in handspeed, and puts his combinations together well. However Martin moves better and has better head movement (though it didn't stop him getting caught against Glazkov with the left hook more than once, and Joshua throws a tight hook). His looseness will also give him better stamina in the later rounds -if he can get there.

I reckon about 60% chance Joshua finishes him within 5. After then, if Martin hasn't had the fight knocked out of him, it gets interesting and a Martin decision is possible (though less likely than Joshua getting the nod). I don't see a Martin knockout, except possibly very late and for stamina reasons -his power is solid but nothing Joshua can't absorb.

[Tuan_Jim]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I wonder what Martin's excuse will be if he gets blown away:

I meant to say "I walk this earth like cod".

Indeed, or any number of alternates;
I walk this earth like a clod/bod/spod/sod/

[Rob3_142]

I just watched the Joshua/Martin public workouts on Youtube and Joshua seems to be the biggest I think I've ever seen him. Although I'm sure this brings additional power, and that he does the relevant training to go 12 rounds, it does make me wonder how much this hinders his movement. I think he still wins this fight fairly comfortably, but against a more mobile opposition like Haye, I do worry.

Martin looking pretty mobile and had excellent hand speed, but he was shadow boxing without gloves which suggests he would be a little slower with them on. As MightyWarrior has already alluded to, I doubt Martin will be so adventurous when he's face to Face with Joshua, and after he gets rocked by a Joshua jab, he'll be careful not to let his guard down. I think after the second and third rounds you won't see many flurry's from Martin and Joshua just has to pick his spot.

[BitPlayer]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

He wasn't that bad, he moved fairly well, jabbed well, and landed a few nice shots, and against someone better than anyone Joshua has fought.

[Maxsplit]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

He wasn't that bad, he moved fairly well, jabbed well, and landed a few nice shots, and against someone better than anyone Joshua has fought.

I thought he was very effective vs Glazkov for as long as it lasted and was in total control of the fight after just 60 seconds through his movement and control of range. He'd busted Glazkovs nose up by the 2nd just with his jab so he hits more than hard enough as his 90% KO rate advertises.

I was up close at the public workout and his footwork looks like Muhammad Ali compared to the flat footed, leaden Joshua.

If Martin can survive the first 3 rounds without being rocked (a big ask) then I expect Martin to win comfortably (barring robbery).

And if AJ has underestimated him a 1st or 2nd round blowout being countered cold wouldn't surprise me ... much like happened to another tall, big punching, undefeated UK Olympian medalling heavyweight when he faced a languid, big, unfancied US Southpaw a couple of years ago...

[Tuan_Jim]

Thompson was and is far more competent than Charles Martin. We must have been watching two different fights. I saw two very ordinary pugs. Martin throws arm punches and looks distinctly uncoordinated. He won on a slip. A slip!

The Joshua hype revolts me but I'm sure he'll punch right through this man.

[BitPlayer]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

He wasn't that bad, he moved fairly well, jabbed well, and landed a few nice shots, and against someone better than anyone Joshua has fought.

I thought he was very effective vs Glazkov for as long as it lasted and was in total control of the fight after just 60 seconds through his movement and control of range. He'd busted Glazkovs nose up by the 2nd just with his jab so he hits more than hard enough as his 90% KO rate advertises.

I was up close at the public workout and his footwork looks like Muhammad Ali compared to the flat footed, leaden Joshua.

If Martin can survive the first 3 rounds without being rocked (a big ask) then I expect Martin to win comfortably (barring robbery).

And if AJ has underestimated him a 1st or 2nd round blowout being countered cold wouldn't surprise me ... much like happened to another tall, big punching, undefeated UK Olympian medalling heavyweight when he faced a languid, big, unfancied US Southpaw a couple of years ago...

Watching AJ's public workout now, he looks very sluggish and I think missed the pads more than once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFl-HVLUgfc

I don't think it's a fair way to judge his ability, but still that bordered on embarrassing.
This bit was funny
https://gfycat.com/InconsequentialDecisiveArmadillo

[Rob3_142]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJFri9ic0wA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX9M7jcVG-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s1dRGrK33M

This is much better than the gloves off thing (top video). He seems a bit more coherent and genuine here. None of the 'I am a god walking this earth" nonsense.

[Maxsplit]

I'm glad Sky are canvassing the big opinions that matter on this fight right now, like Shane Warne & Kevin Pietersen

It's baffling but when everyone lists AJ's attributes number one is always his tremendous physique, which we all know at HW counts for so little as Fury proved vs Klitschko and even last weekend the incredibly flabby Molina KOing the chiselled Adamek.

When will people learn??

If I was AJ I'd be concerned that everyone lists his best asset as his body rather than his jab, footwork, head movement, defence etc. He keeps being presented as a very one dimensional fighter: Big punch BIg Muscles. I guess that sells to the casuals ...

[Rob3_142]

I'm glad Sky are canvassing the big opinions that matter on this fight right now, like Shane Warne & Kevin Pietersen

It's baffling but when everyone lists AJ's attributes number one is always his tremendous physique, which we all know at HW counts for so little as Fury proved vs Klitschko and even last weekend the incredibly flabby Molina KOing the chiselled Adamek.

When will people learn??

If I was AJ I'd be concerned that everyone lists his best asset as his body rather than his jab, footwork, head movement, defence etc. He keeps being presented as a very one dimensional fighter: Big punch BIg Muscles. I guess that sells to the casuals ...

I think we all agree that Joshua has tremendous punching power, which is going to take him far, and does not have a glass chin, as we have seen so far against Whyte, but the bulk possibly hindering his movement is a real concern. He won't need it against Martin so much I believe, but a more agile operator like Haye will cause him problems, unless he can just punch his way out of there.

[the_doctor]

If I was AJ I'd be concerned that everyone lists his best asset as his body rather than his jab, footwork, head movement, defence etc. He keeps being presented as a very one dimensional fighter: Big punch BIg Muscles. I guess that sells to the casuals ...

Pre-Klitschko win, what were people listing as Fury's best attributes? Most of the talk was how his height/reach made the fight interesting. His head movement and defence didn't look good when he was being floored by Cunningham and Neven Pajkic and his jab was so poor against Chisora second time round the ref had to stop the fight and show him how to do it properly.

But, when the competition intensified, he stepped up and saved his best performance for his best opponent.

We don't know enough about Joshua because he's only been slightly tested once - against Whyte - where he took some good shots, fought back and won with a brutal knock-out.

[Rob3_142]

If I was AJ I'd be concerned that everyone lists his best asset as his body rather than his jab, footwork, head movement, defence etc. He keeps being presented as a very one dimensional fighter: Big punch BIg Muscles. I guess that sells to the casuals ...

Pre-Klitschko win, what were people listing as Fury's best attributes? Most of the talk was how his height/reach made the fight interesting. His head movement and defence didn't look good when he was being floored by Cunningham and Neven Pajkic and his jab was so poor against Chisora second time round the ref had to stop the fight and show him how to do it properly.

But, when the competition intensified, he stepped up and saved his best performance for his best opponent.

We don't know enough about Joshua because he's only been slightly tested once - against Whyte - where he took some good shots, fought back and won with a brutal knock-out.

This is a very valid point.

And let's be honest here, why are we concerned what 'everyone lists' as his best asset? Surely he needs to be only concerned what he is doing, and what he needs to do. So far whatever assets he has have served him pretty well, winning every round he has been in barring the second versus Whyte. We actually won't know a lot about what Joshua has got until he's in an actual fight. We may still not know too much about AJ after this fight. We might have to wait until Haye or Fury.

Joshua may even need to be beaten before he can reach his peak, we just don't know. But so far his progress is fine, and each step up the ladder will tell him, his team, and his fans more about where he's at.

[wesshaw1985]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3721Y2mCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa1APTe2eHo

[BitPlayer]

If I was AJ I'd be concerned that everyone lists his best asset as his body rather than his jab, footwork, head movement, defence etc. He keeps being presented as a very one dimensional fighter: Big punch BIg Muscles. I guess that sells to the casuals ...

Pre-Klitschko win, what were people listing as Fury's best attributes? Most of the talk was how his height/reach made the fight interesting. His head movement and defence didn't look good when he was being floored by Cunningham and Neven Pajkic and his jab was so poor against Chisora second time round the ref had to stop the fight and show him how to do it properly.

But, when the competition intensified, he stepped up and saved his best performance for his best opponent.

We don't know enough about Joshua because he's only been slightly tested once - against Whyte - where he took some good shots, fought back and won with a brutal knock-out.

This about Fury just isn't true, people did say this but they were obviously clueless, and everyone knows he fought like an idiot in the Cunningham fight. It was pretty clear he had good movement and defence in the Hammer and Chisora fights.
http://www.badlefthook.com/2015/3/4/814 ... t-analysis

[Monte Fisto]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

He wasn't that bad, he moved fairly well, jabbed well, and landed a few nice shots, and against someone better than anyone Joshua has fought.

I thought he was very effective vs Glazkov for as long as it lasted and was in total control of the fight after just 60 seconds through his movement and control of range. He'd busted Glazkovs nose up by the 2nd just with his jab so he hits more than hard enough as his 90% KO rate advertises.

I was up close at the public workout and his footwork looks like Muhammad Ali compared to the flat footed, leaden Joshua.

If Martin can survive the first 3 rounds without being rocked (a big ask) then I expect Martin to win comfortably (barring robbery).

And if AJ has underestimated him a 1st or 2nd round blowout being countered cold wouldn't surprise me ... much like happened to another tall, big punching, undefeated UK Olympian medalling heavyweight when he faced a languid, big, unfancied US Southpaw a couple of years ago...

I agree, Martin was warming into the fight and starting to find his range. He was quite patient which was impressive as Glazkov was clearly the more mobile and Martins patience was just starting to pay off before it was stopped.

[aley135]

Not sure if it has been mentioned elsewhere but does anyone know how Fernando Vargas got sanctioned to fight McDonnell for the WBA world bantamweight title despite not boxing at bantamweight for 3 years, and not being ranked by the WBA in any weight division whatsoever........???

[Rob3_142]

Martin looks so ordinary in his titlefight. It's like having Owen 'What the Heck' Beck as a heavyweight champion. Joshua will slaughter him inside 3 and electrify the casuals.

He wasn't that bad, he moved fairly well, jabbed well, and landed a few nice shots, and against someone better than anyone Joshua has fought.

I thought he was very effective vs Glazkov for as long as it lasted and was in total control of the fight after just 60 seconds through his movement and control of range. He'd busted Glazkovs nose up by the 2nd just with his jab so he hits more than hard enough as his 90% KO rate advertises.

I was up close at the public workout and his footwork looks like Muhammad Ali compared to the flat footed, leaden Joshua.

If Martin can survive the first 3 rounds without being rocked (a big ask) then I expect Martin to win comfortably (barring robbery).

And if AJ has underestimated him a 1st or 2nd round blowout being countered cold wouldn't surprise me ... much like happened to another tall, big punching, undefeated UK Olympian medalling heavyweight when he faced a languid, big, unfancied US Southpaw a couple of years ago...

He was very effective vs Glazkov, but let's be honest, it was a complete mismatch. Martin towered over him, and had a good 5 inches of reach on him. Glazkov is borderline cruiserweight and lacks the skills to really trouble someone of Martin's size. I'd expect Joshua to blow that guy out inside a round, providing he could catch him...

[expe]

Not sure if it has been mentioned elsewhere but does anyone know how Fernando Vargas got sanctioned to fight McDonnell for the WBA world bantamweight title despite not boxing at bantamweight for 3 years, and not being ranked by the WBA in any weight division whatsoever........???

Be interesting to see what's lurking in those Panama Papers that have been released, since the WBA are based there.

[lefty]

A lot hinges on what kind of chin Martin has. We still don't have any real information on that - for all we know he is Tex Cobb in that area.

I would wager that Martin plans to fight long and take things into the later rounds. He has been 10 rounds once (albeit against the uninspiring Love) and looks to have a decent work rate. The question is if he can avoid getting caught for that long and what happens if he can't.

Joshua is unquestionably the better puncher, has the edge in handspeed, and puts his combinations together well. However Martin moves better and has better head movement (though it didn't stop him getting caught against Glazkov with the left hook more than once, and Joshua throws a tight hook). His looseness will also give him better stamina in the later rounds -if he can get there.

I reckon about 60% chance Joshua finishes him within 5. After then, if Martin hasn't had the fight knocked out of him, it gets interesting and a Martin decision is possible (though less likely than Joshua getting the nod). I don't see a Martin knockout, except possibly very late and for stamina reasons -his power is solid but nothing Joshua can't absorb.

I think that's a good summary. I tend to feel the same way.

[Counter-puncher]

hrs ·
..


I talk to my boys in the state of usa they say Charlie martin is not a push over, and he is a bad man ALLEGEDLY down time allegedly to me this is
anthony Joshua first proper fight. He is fighting Some one who come to win who know street life.this fight will set him up for bigger things, i went to york hall saw charles work out he did look good 50/50 fight and charles did look like he mean business and he say he is going to knock out the mother fornicator out nuff said


Lloyd Honeygan has spoken

[lefty]

hrs ·
..


I talk to my boys in the state of usa they say Charlie martin is not a push over, and he is a bad man ALLEGEDLY down time allegedly to me this is
anthony Joshua first proper fight. He is fighting Some one who come to win who know street life.this fight will set him up for bigger things, i went to york hall saw charles work out he did look good 50/50 fight and charles did look like he mean business and he say he is going to knock out the mother fornicator out nuff said


Lloyd Honeygan has spoken

I thought Bill had hijacked your account for a minute.

[jamesmcdonnell]

hrs ·
..


I talk to my boys in the state of usa they say Charlie martin is not a push over, and he is a bad man ALLEGEDLY down time allegedly to me this is
anthony Joshua first proper fight. He is fighting Some one who come to win who know street life.this fight will set him up for bigger things, i went to york hall saw charles work out he did look good 50/50 fight and charles did look like he mean business and he say he is going to knock out the mother fornicator out nuff said


Lloyd Honeygan has spoken

I thought that was from imransawwar for a minute.

[handsofstone]