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Anthony Joshua to challenge Charles Martin for IBF title

Fighters Network
14
Feb

The unbeaten Anthony Joshua will challenge Charles Martin for the IBF heavyweight title in London, England, on April 9.

Martin travels to England to make the first defense of the title that he landed in Brooklyn in January against Vyacheslav Glazkov, and the unbeaten Californian puts the belt on the line in his first fight outside the States.

“Fighting for the heavyweight world title has been a dream of mine since I turned professional,” said Joshua, who is rated No. 9 by THE RING. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to turn that dream in to reality. Charles Martin is a great fighter and a hungry competitor so I am going to have to produce the performance of my career to claim that belt.”

“I told my team I wanted the best challenger possible for my first defense and Anthony Joshua’s name kept coming up,” said Martin, who is rated No, 10. “I’m coming to the U.K. to make a statement that I am the best heavyweight in the world and no-one is taking my title.



“I’m world champion, so that doesn’t mean just sit back and make easy defenses in the U.S., it means facing the biggest challenges out there. I respect Anthony Joshua and everything he has accomplished, but on April 9 he’s getting knocked out.”

Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, said: “Life is all about taking opportunities and when the chance to become Heavyweight of the world presented itself, there was no holding Anthony back.

“He wants to give the fans something to get excited about and he wants to become a great and even though the decision among the team took a week or so, I believe his mind was already made up from the moment I asked him. It’s a complete honor to promote an event of this magnitude. I believe it’s one that will go down in the history of the sport.”

Mike Borao, Charles Martin’s manager, said: “Special thanks to Eddie Hearn, Matchroom, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing, and all else involved for putting this major event together so quickly. Anthony Joshua will discover that Charles Martin is a special talent on April 9.”

Information courtesy of a press release issued by Matchroom Boxing

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday at 9am to Matchroom Fight Pass members from the Fight Pass area at www.matchroomboxing.com and O2 Priority members at www.theO2.co.uk. Thursday 9am sees the venue and AXS pre-sale before tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday.

Tickets priced at £40 to £500 will be available from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202. VIP tickets are £1,000 and available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing www.matchroomboxing.com.

Tickets for April 9 will also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ from 9am on February 19 – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

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