Recently I caught up with IBF World Heavyweight Champion Prince Charles Martin where we talked about the heavyweight division and a possible unification fight with Anthony Joshua.
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Prince Charles Martin burst onto the world stage when he defeated Vyacheslav Glazkov by TKO to win the IBF Heavyweight title earlier this year.
In round three, Glazkov hit the canvas. Nobody was sure what had happened. Glazkov tore his ACL and the fight was stopped. The Ukrainian was favourite going into the fight and many in boxing have said that Martin was fortunate to win a world title in those circumstances.
But that’s not how Charles sees it:
“All I can say now is that the belt is in the right hands I’m going to make sure she don’t leave my side. It’s unfortunate that he hurt his leg but hey that ain’t got nothing to do with me, I’m just going to take it how it comes period that’s out of my control.”
Touching on a rematch with Glazkov, Martin said:
“He can get it whenever he want’s it. I’ll fight him tomorrow, he can’t beat me. He can get a rematch anytime he wants, that will be another easy fight for me.”
(Joshua has also been linked with a fight with New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, but here this week he has also included Martin’s name in the mix, via Box Sport Mega):
It is being widely reported that Charles Martin has offered Anthony Joshua a shot at the IBF title. Martin even tweeted this week that Joshua was afraid to fight him, he confirmed this to us and that the title shot is currently on the table and it is up to Joshua’s team on whether the fight happens or not:
“We put it out there, if his team doesn’t want to take the fight then that’s that. I want to face the best guys, everyone is saying that he’s the best. He’s a gold medalist and they are saying he’s not ready. I’m world champion but he’s a gold medalist – how can you not be ready? If you got all kinds of hype behind you then I want to fight you. I’m not here to fight bums, everyone is saying this kid is the next big thing, well, I want to fight him. I’m hearing his name in everybody’s mouth, he has some stature behind him. Why wouldn’t I want to fight him as my first defence? I’m giving him a title shot so let’s get on with it.”
Boxing can be heated at the best of times and fighter’s can be very personal in the build-up to a fight, but when it comes to Charles Martin and Anthony Joshua, Martin has no bad blood. He says it’s just boxing:
”I’ve never met the kid, I’ve no bad blood towards him, it’s the sport of boxing. Right now I only see it being Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and two of them have mandatory fights so I want to fight Joshua. They wanted to do an eliminator with Carlos Takam but why doesn’t he just fight me? I’m giving him a title shot right now. I’m not being the bad guy, I’m giving him a title shot.”
Speaking on his first defence, Charles would like to be back in action back in April. Whether or not that will be against ‘AJ’ we will have to wait and see, but he plans on making a statement and show the world he deserves to be world champion:
”Whenever my team is ready we ready as soon as April 9th I’ll do whatever man I don’t want to defend my title against no bums. I’m going to fight the best and I’m going to be the best that’s the only way you can call yourself a a true Champion. I’m not like other guys who win the titles and fight bums. I’m going after the big wigs and I’m going to bust their heads.”
When Tyson Fury defeated Wladimir Klitschko, its fair to say the heavyweight division was blown wide open. For the first time in a long time, heavyweight boxing is exciting again, and we have multiple world champions and young contenders coming through.
Charles is delighted with how things have gone in the division:
”I’m so glad that it’s alive again, it’s thriving we got a handful of great Heavyweights there is going to be some great Heavyweight fight’s. When it comes to Klitschko you can’t beat father time he was hitting 40 it was only a matter of time before he lost his belts. Us upcoming Heavyweight’s we’re young, strong, athletic, times change.”
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