Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua

Last updated

Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua
Date9 April 2016
Venue The O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, UK
Title(s) on the line IBF Heavyweight Championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer Flag of the United States.svg Charles Martin Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Anthony Joshua
Nickname "Prince Charles" "AJ"
Hometown St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Watford, Hertfordshire, UK
Pre-fight record 23–0–1 (21 KOs) 15–0 (15 KOs)
Age 29 years, 11 months 26 years, 5 months
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 245 lb (111 kg) 244 lb (111 kg)
Style Southpaw Orthodox
Recognition IBF
Heavyweight Champion
The Ring/TBRB
No. 9 Ranked Heavyweight
IBF
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight
The Ring/TBRB
No. 8 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Joshua defeated Martin in the 2nd round by KO

Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua was a professional boxing match contested between the undefeated and newly crowned IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin, and undefeated Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua. The bout took place on 9 April 2016 at The O2 Arena, London. Joshua defeated Martin via second-round knockout (KO) to claim the IBF heavyweight title.

Contents

Background

On 12 December 2015, Anthony Joshua fought fellow British contender and rival Dillian Whyte in a grudge match for Joshua's WBC International, and Commonwealth titles with the vacant British title also on the line. The bout took place at The O2 Arena in London, with Joshua winning via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO). [1]

Following the IBF's decision to strip newly crowned unified champion Tyson Fury of their version of the heavyweight championship for failing to agree terms for a fight with mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov, due to contractual obligations to face former unified champion Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch, [2] the IBF ordered a fight between Glazkov and #2 ranked contender Charles Martin. [3] The bout took place on 16 January 2016 at the Barclays Center, New York, with Martin winning via third-round TKO after Glazkov suffered a knee injury and was unable to continue. [4] One month after Martin's win over Glazkov, it was announced that Martin would make a voluntary defence of his newly acquired title against Joshua—who was the IBF's #4 ranked contender—with the bout scheduled to take place on 9 April at The O2 Arena in London. It was reported that Martin would earn a career high purse of £3.46m with potential total earnings in excess of £6m after PPV sales. [5]

The fight

Round one saw Martin on the back foot, only throwing a handful of punches and landing even less. Joshua applied minimal pressure, throwing probing jabs to the head and body and the occasional right hand. In the final 30 seconds, Joshua grazed Martin with a straight right hand which appeared to cause the champion to momentarily stumble. However, the instant replay between rounds showed Martin had tripped over one of the ringside advertisements. Martin began standing his ground in the first minute of round two, throwing more punches in that minute than the previous three. One minute into the round, Joshua slipped a right hand jab from southpaw Martin and landed a solid counter straight right to Martin's chin, dropping the champion to the canvas. Five seconds after Martin rose to his feet, he threw another jab which Joshua once again slipped and landed the same counter straight right hand to floor the champion for the second time. Martin was still down on one knee as referee Jean-Pierre Van Imschoot reached the count of nine. Martin quickly rose up to his feet as Van Imschoot waved off the fight at 1 minute and 32 seconds, giving Joshua a second-round knockout win to secure the IBF heavyweight title. [6]

Aftermath

With Joshua's win, he became the first British super-heavyweight Olympic champion to win a professional heavyweight world title; the fourth boxer in history to win a professional heavyweight world title as the reigning Olympic champion; [6] and the fifth-fastest to win a heavyweight world title at two years and six months. [7] Martin also made the heavyweight history books by having the second-shortest reign as a heavyweight world champion at just 85 days. [8]

Fight card

Confirmed bouts: [9]

Weight ClassWeightvs.MethodRoundTimeNotes
Heavyweight Anthony Joshua def. Charles Martin (c)KO2/121:32 Note 1
Featherweight Lee Selby (c)def.Eric HunterUD12 Note 2
Super-middleweight George Groves def. David Brophy KO4/120:47 Note 3
Bantamweight Jamie McDonnell (c)def.Fernando Vargas ParraTKO9/122:39 Note 4
Middleweight Matthew Macklin def. Brian Rose MD12 Note 5
Lightweight Ohara Davies def.Andy KeatesKO4/100:31 Note 6
Light-welterweight Ted Cheeseman def.Mario PetrovTKO4/6
Light-welterweight Conor Benn def.Ivaylo BoyanovTKO1/42:07
Featherweight Kamil Łaszczyk def.Ignac KassaiPTS6

^Note 1 For IBF heavyweight title
^Note 2 For IBF featherweight title
^Note 3 For vacant WBA International super-middleweight title
^Note 4 For WBA bantamweight title
^Note 5 For IBF Inter-Continental middleweight title
^Note 6 For vacant English lightweight title

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcaster
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina TyC Sports
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Fox Sports
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany SAT.1
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Sport 2
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Sky Arena
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Sky Sports
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Showtime

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kubrat Pulev</span> Bulgarian boxer (born 1981)

Kubrat Venkov Pulev is a Bulgarian professional boxer. He has challenged once for the IBF and the Ring magazine heavyweight titles in 2014, and once for the unified heavyweight title in 2020. He won the WBA International heavyweight title in 2024. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the European title twice between 2012 and 2016. As an amateur, he won multiple medals at international tournaments, including gold at the 2008 European Championships and bronze at the 2005 World Championships, all in the super-heavyweight division. He also represented Bulgaria at the 2008 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vyacheslav Glazkov</span> Ukrainian boxer

Vyacheslav Valeriyovych Glazkov is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2016. He challenged once for the vacant IBF heavyweight title in 2016, losing to Charles Martin due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The injury eventually forced him to retire from the sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Helenius</span> Finnish boxer (born 1984)

Robert Gabriel Helenius is a Finnish professional boxer. He has held multiple regional championships in the heavyweight division, including the European title twice between 2011 and 2016. As an amateur, he won a super-heavyweight silver medal at the 2006 European Championships. He holds notable wins over former world heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter, and Siarhei Liakhovich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Chisora</span> British boxer (born 1983)

Derek Chisora is a Zimbabwean-British professional boxer. He has challenged twice for the WBC heavyweight title in 2012 and 2022. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British and Commonwealth titles from 2010 to 2011, and the European title from 2013 to 2014. As an amateur, he won the ABA super-heavyweight title in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Parker</span> New Zealand boxer (born 1992)

Joseph Dennis Parker, OM is a New Zealand professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title since March 2024. Previously, he held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the WBO Oriental, Africa, and Oceania titles; as well as the PABA, OPBF, and New Zealand titles. As an amateur, he represented New Zealand at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the super-heavyweight division, and narrowly missed qualification for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua</span> British boxer (born 1989)

Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is a British professional boxer. He is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles twice between 2016 and 2021. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title twice during that reign. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Martin (boxer)</span> American boxer

Charles Lee Martin is an American professional boxer who held the IBF heavyweight title from January to April 2016. His 85-day reign as champion is the second-shortest in heavyweight boxing history, after Tony Tucker's 64 days in 1987. During Martin's short reign as IBF champion, he reached a peak active heavyweight ranking of ninth by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. He was never featured in the top ten rankings of either BoxRec or The Ring.

Dillian Whyte is a British professional boxer who has formerly competed as a kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He has held the WBC interim heavyweight title twice between 2019 and 2022. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British title from 2016 to 2017. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's fifth-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine, and the fourth-best active heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and BoxRec. He has been ranked among BoxRec's top 10 heavyweights since 2016, reaching his career-high ranking of No. 2 at the end of August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.</span> Boxing competitions

Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua, and former world title challenger Andy Ruiz Jr. The bout took place on June 1, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Joshua was originally scheduled to face undefeated WBA No. 2 and WBO No. 3 ranked heavyweight Jarrell Miller, who was replaced by Ruiz Jr. after Miller failed three drug tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dillian Whyte vs Óscar Rivas</span> Boxing match

Dillian Whyte vs Óscar Rivas was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between Dillian Whyte and Óscar Rivas for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. The event took place on 20 July 2019 at The O2 Arena in London. After the fight, it was reported that Dillian Whyte tested positive for a substance banned by UK-Anti Doping (UKAD) during training for the fight. However, UKAD released a statement in December 2019, fully exonerating Whyte of any wrong-doing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto Wallin</span> Swedish boxer (born 1990)

Einar Otto Wallin is a Swedish professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental heavyweight title in 2017, the European Union heavyweight title in 2018, and the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title in 2023. As of March 2024, Wallin is ranked #8 by the IBF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated and unified WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua, and the IBF's number 2 ranked contender, Carlos Takam. The bout took place on 28 October 2017 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Joshua defeated Takam, retaining his heavyweight titles via tenth-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated IBF champion Anthony Joshua, and the IBF's number 13 ranked contender, Dominic Breazeale. The bout took place on 25 June 2016 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Joshua defeated Breazeale, retaining his heavyweight title via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated IBF champion Anthony Joshua, and the IBF's number 7 ranked contender and former world title challenger, Éric Molina. The bout took place on 10 December 2016 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Joshua defeated Molina, retaining his heavyweight title via third-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte, billed as Bad Intentions, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated Commonwealth and World Boxing Council (WBC) International champion Anthony Joshua, and undefeated WBC International Silver champion Dillian Whyte, with Joshua's Commonwealth and WBC International, and the vacant British titles on the line. The bout took place on 12 December 2015 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Joshua defeated Whyte, adding the British title to his Commonwealth and WBC International titles title via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Gary Cornish</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Gary Cornish, billed as Heavy Duty, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated WBC International champion Anthony Joshua, and undefeated IBO Inter-Continental champion Gary Cornish, with Joshua's WBC International, and the vacant Commonwealth titles on the line. The bout took place on 12 September 2015 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Joshua defeated Cornish, adding the Commonwealth title to his WBC International title via first-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III</span> Boxing competition

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III billed as "Once And For All" was a professional boxing trilogy fight between WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, and former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder. The bout took place at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on October 9, 2021. The fight, which Fury won via eleventh-round knockout, was widely regarded as the best fight of the year and one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time, winning the award for The Ring magazine Fight of the Year 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dillian Whyte vs Derek Chisora II</span> Boxing match

Dillian Whyte vs Derek Chisora II, billed as The Brawl To Settle It All, was a professional boxing match contested between WBC Silver and WBO International heavyweight champion, Dillian Whyte, and Derek Chisora. The bout took place on 22 December 2018 at The O2 Arena, with Whyte winning by knockout in the eleventh round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Usyk vs Derek Chisora</span> Boxing match

Oleksandr Usyk vs Derek Chisora, billed as Fright Night, was a professional boxing match contested between former undisputed cruiserweight champion and the WBO's heavyweight mandatory challenger, Oleksandr Usyk, and WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion, Derek Chisora. The bout took place on 31 October 2020 at The SSE Arena, with Usyk winning by unanimous decision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius, was a heavyweight professional boxing match between former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius.

References

  1. "Anthony Joshua beats Dillian Whyte for British heavyweight title". BBC Sport. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  2. "Tyson Fury: World heavyweight champion stripped of IBF title". BBC Sport. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. "Fury stripped of IBF belt for declining Glazkov". ESPN.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. "Martin stops Glazkov, wins vacant heavyweight title". ESPN.com. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  5. Lewis, Ron (16 February 2016). "Big pay day tempted Charles Martin to risk title against Anthony Joshua". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Anthony Joshua beats Charles Martin to become world heavyweight champion". BBC Sport. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  7. "Anthony Joshua has become the fifth-fastest man to win a heavyweight world title". Sky Sports. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  8. Abramson, Mitch (21 April 2016). "Deontay Wilder accuses Charles Martin of lying down against Joshua". The Ring. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  9. "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by Charles Martin' bouts
9 April 2016
Succeeded by
vs. Byron Polley
Preceded by Anthony Joshua's bouts
9 April 2016
Succeeded by