BoxRec

Charles Martin (23-1-1, 21 KOs) is ready to resume his boxing career after a year out of the ring when he faces 37-year-old journeyman Byron Polley (30-20-1, 13 KOs) next Tuesday on April 25 in a scheduled 10 round fight at the Fitzgerald’s Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi.

Martin, 30, hasn’t fought since being stopped in the 2nd round by Anthony Joshua on April 9 last year at the O2 Arena in London, England. The 6’5” southpaw Martin gave a poor account of himself by not letting his hands go in that fight before being stopped by Joshua in round 2. Martin was knocked down twice in round 2. Some boxing fans were angry, and felt that Martin didn’t even try and win the fight. Never the less, he looked overwhelmed from the very start.

The Martin vs. Polley fight will be taking plan on the undercard of the Mario Barrios vs. Nelson Lara card on Premier Boxing Champions on Fox Sports 1. It should be interesting to see what kind condition Charles Martin is in after being out of the ring for an entire year. The time off from action can’t have made Martin a better fighter, as he looked vulnerable even before he lost to Joshua.

The IBF has Martin ranked #14 with their organization despite him not having fought in an entire year. You would think that the IBF would drop Martin from their rankings after his loss to Joshua. We saw former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter dropped from the IBF’s top 15 after his narrow 12 round decision loss to Kell Brook in 2014, and that was a close fight. That wasn’t a wipeout like we saw with Martin’s loss to Joshua. The IBF still has Martin ranked in their top 15 for some reason.

Martin is going to have a hard time if he takes on some of the better contenders in the division. He’s too easy to hit, and his boxing skills need work. At 6’5”, Martin has the size and the power to give problems to a lot of the contenders in the division. We’ll have to see if Martin can come back from his loss to Joshua and his subsequent 1-year layoff.

Martins a big lump of wood.

I think Whyte vs Martin would be a good fight.

Well this crept up. Glad to see Martin back in the ring, and less on crazy street! Random that he's fighting on a Tuesday night card though.

I think the jury is still out on Martin. As the OP states, Martin is a 6'5 southpaw, that has a so far impressive knockout rate. He didn't have the opportunity to showcase his skills against Joshua, as he was caught with two counter rights, and the night was over quickly. Be nice to see him make a similar run to Breazeale, come back with a few B level wins, get himself back in the mix.

The question is of course, has he completely lost his mind in the year out? Is he back in the ring because he pissed all his riches earned against Joshua up the wall? Is he going to take it seriously enough to get back into the mix?

Answers on a postcard.

Surprised to see him back so soon. He was shot in the forearm I believe.

Glad to see he knows his level. Two or three Byron Polley's and then a cashout fight against somebody in the top 50.

marvelous marv wrote:Surprised to see him back so soon. He was shot in the forearm I believe.

Back in August.. before that he wanted to return late last year..

Martin needs a boxing coach and a strength trainer... And he needs a serious work ethic... Or he's fkd anytime he fights somebody as skilled as AJ.

Rob3_142 wrote:Well this crept up. Glad to see Martin back in the ring, and less on crazy street! Random that he's fighting on a Tuesday night card though.

I think the jury is still out on Martin. As the OP states, Martin is a 6'5 southpaw, that has a so far impressive knockout rate. He didn't have the opportunity to showcase his skills against Joshua, as he was caught with two counter rights, and the night was over quickly. Be nice to see him make a similar run to Breazeale, come back with a few B level wins, get himself back in the mix.

The question is of course, has he completely lost his mind in the year out? Is he back in the ring because he pissed all his riches earned against Joshua up the wall? Is he going to take it seriously enough to get back into the mix?

Answers on a postcard.

Charles Martin has no skills to showcase. Even his highlight reel looks terrible.

TheGingerBomber wrote:I think Whyte vs Martin would be a good fight.

So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

He's not very good, but good luck to him.

candyslim wrote:

TheGingerBomber wrote:I think Whyte vs Martin would be a good fight.

So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

The only mistake you made is saying that he was regarded as dog-shite after getting caught by AJ. He's been dog-shite his entire career. He can't even keep both feet on the ground when he throws an arm punch.

There are a lot of effective fighters who are extremely limited technically, a prime example being the praying mantis himself, Deontay Wilder who most would cite first, second or third if you challenged them to name the cream of the heavyweight division.

Any heavyweight you care to name, and I do mean any, I (or any one of us on this forum) could dismiss as flawed in few words or less, be that too inexperienced, too old, too short, too slow, too light, too heavy, suspect chin, suspect stamina, lack of dedication, lack of power, technically inept, tendency to hang his chin out, carry his hands too low, overconfident, underconfident, prone to cuts, prone to injury, lack of a killer instinct, lack of ambition, doesn't fight regularly enough, won't take a risk in the ring, won't take a risk in his choice of opponent, takes too many risks in the ring, takes too many risks in his choice of opponent, won't listen to his trainer, got the wrong management team, promoter, tends to alienate people, too greedy in his demands, only wants big fights, big venues, refuses to travel, refuses to ever accept the short end of the purse, prima donna like in his non-financial demands ... I'm sure you can add a few I hadn't thought of?

I know Charles Martin has more than a few limitations but he would be in the world's best twenty heavyweights if he can get back to what he was.

Stone me I neglected to mention 'too reliant on pharmaceutical assistance'

candyslim wrote:There are a lot of effective fighters who are extremely limited technically, a prime example being the praying mantis himself, Deontay Wilder who most would cite first, second or third if you challenged them to name the cream of the heavyweight division.

Any heavyweight you care to name, and I do mean any, I (or any one of us on this forum) could dismiss as flawed in few words or less, be that too inexperienced, too old, too short, too slow, too light, too heavy, suspect chin, suspect stamina, lack of dedication, lack of power, technically inept, tendency to hang his chin out, carry his hands too low, overconfident, underconfident, prone to cuts, prone to injury, lack of a killer instinct, lack of ambition, doesn't fight regularly enough, won't take a risk in the ring, won't take a risk in his choice of opponent, takes too many risks in the ring, takes too many risks in his choice of opponent, won't listen to his trainer, got the wrong management team, promoter, tends to alienate people, too greedy in his demands, only wants big fights, big venues, refuses to travel, refuses to ever accept the short end of the purse, prima donna like in his non-financial demands ... I'm sure you can add a few I hadn't thought of?

I know Charles Martin has more than a few limitations but he would be in the world's best twenty heavyweights if he can get back to what he was.

Wilder is only close to the cream because of his power. Martin doesn't have that. I understand what you're saying, the division is full of limited fighters. Martin is still terrible. He's the worst HW title holder in the history of the sport, and his best chances are to run up a few wins against club fighters from Arkansas and then cash out again against some young prospects. Rinse and repeat.

Opinions eh, Punchy?

I don't think he's as poor as you obviously do. Although he's over thirty he's still very inexperienced and could improve fairly dramatically. And even if doesn't he can still have a decent career as a fringe contender. He was as worthy of his title shot as Stiverne currently is, more so I'd say. Not as worthy as Stiverne was first time around though, let's make that clear.

I reckon my dismissal theory works for all eras and weight divisions though ... I mean how many fighters beat Robinson ?

After Martin gets off the crack and gets his comeback trail going, I'd like to see him fight someone like Manuel Charr (i.e. #45ish and properly tested). Then, if victorious, fight someone like Washington (i.e. #20ish and only somewhat tested).

Washington would be a good opponent once Martin gets a warm up or two but Manuel Charr? I don't rate him at all having watched him demolished by a cruiser in Briedis.

candyslim wrote:

TheGingerBomber wrote:I think Whyte vs Martin would be a good fight.

So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

Not true, there are plenty of people who thought he was awful prior to the Joshua 'fight'. Anyone with a basic understanding of boxing, and boxing technique could see what would happen against Joshua.

It's simple: he's not very good.

Dixonian wrote:

candyslim wrote:

TheGingerBomber wrote:I think Whyte vs Martin would be a good fight.

So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

Not true, there are plenty of people who thought he was awful prior to the Joshua 'fight'. Anyone with a basic understanding of boxing, and boxing technique could see what would happen against Joshua.

It's simple: he's not very good.

Its funny because there were a select few purists saying he's a good fighter and a big step up on Whyte. Did his arse go? Cos he didn't throw a punch, or at least, land one.

I'd say he's flabby, with a poor defence, no apparent speed or power.

I don't just care about top of the line guys, Breazeale vs Ugonoh showed us how entertaining these middle of road fellas can be.

candyslim wrote:Washington would be a good opponent once Martin gets a warm up or two but Manuel Charr? I don't rate him at all having watched him demolished by a cruiser in Briedis.

I don't rate Martin very much either, and his best untainted win in which an opponent didn't have a freak knee injury is... Alexander Flores, followed by Raphael Zumbano Love. The evidence that Martin is truly top 50 is pretty thin. Charr actually has much better wins than Martin does, aside from the random knee injury to Glazkov that does nothing to support Martin's merits.

TheGingerBomber wrote:

Dixonian wrote:

candyslim wrote:
So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

Not true, there are plenty of people who thought he was awful prior to the Joshua 'fight'. Anyone with a basic understanding of boxing, and boxing technique could see what would happen against Joshua.

It's simple: he's not very good.

Its funny because there were a select few purists saying he's a good fighter and a big step up on Whyte. Did his arse go? Cos he didn't throw a punch, or at least, land one.

I'd say he's flabby, with a poor defence, no apparent speed or power.

I don't just care about top of the line guys, Breazeale vs Ugonoh showed us how entertaining these middle of road fellas can be.

Absolutely right Ginge not that we needed Breazeale v Ugonoh to teach us that. Some of the best fights I've seen have been between two fighters who wouldn't win a world title if they were tag-teaming (against) the champion.

A lot of people were saying that Joshua wasn't very good either. Some die-hards are still saying it. I've never said Martin was a top class fighter but I'd back him to beat Manuel Charr without too much difficulty. It wasn't his fault Glazkov's knee gave out and general consensus was that he was most likely on his way to a win anyway. Waits for torrent of abuse about Glazkov's lack of quality.

Martin isn't the hardest of hitters but he's mobile, and he's big. His unprotected chin couldn't stand up to AJ's sharp and powerful counters but he is in pretty good company there. He has shown little evidence of being chinny prior to that fight.

Just to make it clear I am not making a case for Martin as an elite heavyweight but I think he would be a real handful for most fighters including guys rated in the lower half of the top ten. I'd rate his chances as pretty decent against Pulev even.

Wait a moment while a find my tin hat.

candyslim wrote:

TheGingerBomber wrote:

Dixonian wrote:
Not true, there are plenty of people who thought he was awful prior to the Joshua 'fight'. Anyone with a basic understanding of boxing, and boxing technique could see what would happen against Joshua.

It's simple: he's not very good.

Its funny because there were a select few purists saying he's a good fighter and a big step up on Whyte. Did his arse go? Cos he didn't throw a punch, or at least, land one.

I'd say he's flabby, with a poor defence, no apparent speed or power.

I don't just care about top of the line guys, Breazeale vs Ugonoh showed us how entertaining these middle of road fellas can be.

Absolutely right Ginge not that we needed Breazeale v Ugonoh to teach us that. Some of the best fights I've seen have been between two fighters who wouldn't win a world title if they were tag-teaming (against) the champion.

A lot of people were saying that Joshua wasn't very good either. Some die-hards are still saying it. I've never said Martin was a top class fighter but I'd back him to beat Manuel Charr without too much difficulty. It wasn't his fault Glazkov's knee gave out and general consensus was that he was most likely on his way to a win anyway. Waits for torrent of abuse about Glazkov's lack of quality.

Martin isn't the hardest of hitters but he's mobile, and he's big. His unprotected chin couldn't stand up to AJ's sharp and powerful counters but he is in pretty good company there. He has shown little evidence of being chinny prior to that fight.

Just to make it clear I am not making a case for Martin as an elite heavyweight but I think he would be a real handful for most fighters including guys rated in the lower half of the top ten. I'd rate his chances as pretty decent against Pulev even.

Wait a moment while a find my tin hat.

Seriously!? You think he'd stand a chance against Pulev!? No, no, no... And I don't think he'd beat Charr either.

I'm pretty sure he was behind against Glazkov before the injury. And before that he had fought nobody, so of course his chin held up, there was nothing to resist.

Just look at how he delivers his punches - all arm punches with his chin stuck in the air. When he's on the defensive he leans back with his chin in the air.

TheGingerBomber wrote:

Dixonian wrote:

candyslim wrote:
So do I Ginge, and I for one am delighted to see him planning to return to the mix. I'm not saying he's ever going to reclaim his belt but he's only been regarded as dog-shite since getting caught cold by AJ, and I have a feeling that result is going look less and less embarrassing as time goes by.

Polley is a reasonable first step back, after that I can see a multitude of potential opponents that would be good to watch him fight. Oh go on then, if you insist : Andy Ruiz, Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Uncle Tom Cobbley, oh the possibilities are extensive.

Of course to those of you who only care about the cream of the division (if anyone qualifies for that description in your opinion) then this news is not going to please you as it does me, but I make no apology for that - not even a little one.

Not true, there are plenty of people who thought he was awful prior to the Joshua 'fight'. Anyone with a basic understanding of boxing, and boxing technique could see what would happen against Joshua.

It's simple: he's not very good.

Its funny because there were a select few purists saying he's a good fighter and a big step up on Whyte. Did his arse go? Cos he didn't throw a punch, or at least, land one.

I'd say he's flabby, with a poor defence, no apparent speed or power.

I don't just care about top of the line guys, Breazeale vs Ugonoh showed us how entertaining these middle of road fellas can be.

It was nothing to do with nerve against Joshua. He's just awful. Before the Joshua fight I watched his highlight reel, the fight against Dallas and the Glazkov fight. It showed me all I needed to know. I argued on here with people and said that he had absolutely no chance and it would be over within two. I'd never been more certain of an outcome.

But people were saying, 'you can't know that, he's got a good knockout percentage' blah blah blah. People just look at how he fights!! The clues in his lack of technique and ring craft. He'd been fed lambs all of his career and lucked out against Glazkov. When Joshua came along to challenge for the titles it was always going to be a mismatch.

candyslim wrote:I've never said Martin was a top class fighter but I'd back him to beat Manuel Charr without too much difficulty. It wasn't his fault Glazkov's knee gave out and general consensus was that he was most likely on his way to a win anyway. Waits for torrent of abuse about Glazkov's lack of quality.

Martin isn't the hardest of hitters but he's mobile, and he's big. His unprotected chin couldn't stand up to AJ's sharp and powerful counters but he is in pretty good company there. He has shown little evidence of being chinny prior to that fight.

Just to make it clear I am not making a case for Martin as an elite heavyweight but I think he would be a real handful for most fighters including guys rated in the lower half of the top ten. I'd rate his chances as pretty decent against Pulev even.

Wait a moment while a find my tin hat.

He was even on the cards with Glazkov who isn't very good himself but is also a slow starter. Two and a half rounds are not enough to declare anyone on their way to a win.

He's not mobile, he's not big; he's tall and fat. He's slow, he doesn't move well, he's technically poor, he has a porous defense, he has a weak chin that he waves in the air, he hasn't shown power as he's moved up in class. He's apparently not motivated and has no self-discipline. He's the kind of guy Pulev could actually knock out...and Manuel Charr.