Charles Martin Wants Rematch with “RoboCop” Joshua
After suffering a loss, it’s only natural for a fighter to seek out a second crack at their conqueror. And thus, it’s no different with former IBF heavyweight champion “Prince” Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25 KO’S). Back in 2016, Martin obtained the vacant belt when his opponent, Vyacheslav Glazkov, could not continue after suffering a mid-fight leg injury.
Three months later, in his first title defense, Martin was swiftly knocked out in the second round by the current WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (23-1, 21 KO’s). Ever since the detrimental loss, Martin has slowly been inching his way back up the rankings. Martin has also always craved another shot at the once-beaten champion.
While Martin has not gone out of his way to naysay Joshua, when speaking backstage to Fight Hype, Charles Martin not so subtly insinuated that the UK superstar was a PED user.
“I don’t like to just throw things out there but it is what it is. When he came to New York, when he came to America, you know he got destroyed. So I’ll just leave that to the people’s imagination.”
“What do you guys think about that? He was a monster when he was in his own den. You know he looked bigger, he was all kind of stuff, looked like RoboCop. Then he came over here, he looked smaller, his heart was smaller and he got destroyed.”
EXPLANATION OR EXCUSES??
In spite of his apparent suspicion of Joshua, it’s very clear that Martin still wants a shot at the UK darling. So much so, that the native Missourian wished something of a hex on AJ’s next scheduled foe Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev (28-1, 14 KO’s).
“I hope that we can strike lightening in a bottle and mothafucking he [Pulev] get hurt with a twisted ankle or some shit to where he got to pull out the fight because we want that fight!”
A huge part of why Sir Charles is aching to get a rematch is due to his believing he did not receive a fair shake when he fought Joshua in the UK.
“It was a lot of stuff that happened prior to that fight, man. I don’t want to complain and stuff like that but I was hurt going into the fight, all kind of shit. Like I said, can’t nobody beat me but me…I ain’t over there to fight no more, fuck that!”
“It just wasn’t right…they made me do like 100 interviews bro. Literally 100 interviews like I had no time to myself to focus on what I’m doing, the task at hand, nothing! Just constantly in my room, oh you got an interview, you got an interview because they were mandatory, it was in the contract.”
“…I’m already hurt, I’m fucking trying to heal, recover from [trails off] that’s why I fired my old coach. But I ain’t even going to talk about all that. All y’all got to know is it wasn’t right over there.”
ANYWHERE BUT THE UK
If Martin was to get his rematch, he is not dead set on fighting in America though. He just is certain he will not mix it up in the UK.
“We don’t got to be in America, we could be on ground where he ain’t fought and I ain’t fought, you know what I mean? We could do it in fucking Saudi Arabia, if you want to. I just don’t want to be over there. They not right and I want it to be fair.”
At the moment though, obtaining a second fight with AJ is merely a fanciful idea. Joshua has a pretty booked up dance schedule that does not involve Martin. So it will be telling to see what steps he takes and what fights Sir Charles secures next.
By: Bakari Simpson
