Eyes were raised when Martin (23-0-1, 21 KO) announced that he would be travelling to the UK to make the first defence of his title against Joshua – an Olympic gold medalist with a 100% KO ratio in the pro ranks.
As World Boxing News participated in the conference call held by Showtime Boxing this week, the Missouri fighter explained why he elected to face Joshua and why he is confident of retaining his belt.
He said: “The main reason I chose Joshua is because everyone thinks he is a superstar, but I know that he is green and is not ready for this fight. I want to get him now while he is green and take him out.
“We want to take out all the biggest names in the division and make a mark on the sport. Fury is taken up with the Klitschko fight and Wilder is going in with Povetkin, so Joshua is the only other big name available. I was offered fights with the likes of Chris Arreola, but why would I fight him – that’s an easy fight. I know what I am doing and I want to take everything that Joshua has.
“I will go into the contest with more experience and have had more fights in both the amateurs and the pro game. It’s all about getting comfortable and I don’t think Joshua is there yet. He’s not ready for this level and won’t know what to do when I jump on him and knock him out,” Martin revealed.
“He got tired in his last fight and he hasn’t got the footwork, nor can he move and box, all he has is power. I can do it all and have so much more in my arsenal. He won’t even be able to land hard punches on me – I’m very elusive. The work has all been done and now it’s all about Saturday night.”
Matt Horan is lead writer for WBN. Follow on Twitter @mhoran123
