Former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin is pushing forward with the strong belief that he has a ‘chance against anyone’ in the weight class – including top names like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
In January, Martin met Luis Ortiz in a crossroads showdown. He was ahead in the fight and had Ortiz down twice, but eventually got caught and stopped by the dangerous puncher.
Martin bounced back earlier this month, when he stopped Devin Vargas on the undercard of Ortiz’s fight with Andy Ruiz.
With reports that Fury was considering Derek Chisora for a voluntary defense, Martin is raising his hand for the opportunity.
“I can punch, so I have a chance against anyone, including Tyson Fury,” Martin told Sky Sports.
“Tyson is a good dude. He helps a lot of people, and he came into the ring and congratulated me when I won the IBF title. Tyson can pick who he wants to fight and it would be the biggest blessing to fight the No 1 fighter in the world – I’ll do it for a lot less than Derek Chisora!”
Martin is also willing to have a rematch with Joshua. Back in 2016, Joshua stopped Martin to capture the IBF title.
The British star is coming off back to back defeats at the hands of unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
If Joshua is unable to reach a deal for a year-end encounter with Fury, he will need a comeback opponent for a planned fight in the fall.
“Joshua needs a win in the USA, at Madison Square Garden, and I need a shot at redemption. I don’t care about the money with Joshua, just the revenge. I’ve always said that. Joshua knows exactly what I mean after losing to Ruiz and Usyk. I want to fight him so badly before I retire, just to show him he never fought the real me,” Martin said.
“I gave AJ a shot at the title and that changed his life forever – it’s time for him to return the favor. I am just trying to stay busy and make one more run at the title. I don’t care who I have to fight. I’ll fight Dillian Whyte or Derek Chisora to show I deserve an opportunity.
“I just want to make the last chapter of my career the best one. I was dominating Luis Ortiz easily but just got caught. It happened to Lennox Lewis twice against guys a lot worse than Oritz. Any heavyweight can change a fight with one shot, especially a puncher. One thing is for sure, getting back up is a lot more important than getting knocked down.”