Judgement Day for Joshua

Tonight the eyes of the world will be focussed on the O2 with the IBF World Heavyweight title the prize in a battle between USA and Britain. American ‘Prince’ Charles Martin defends his newly won crown against Anthony Joshua, dubbed the ‘next big thing’, in a fight which will begin to tell us just how good can become. Both fighters will enter the arena boasting unbeaten records, begging the question ‘who’s 0 has to go’.

After winning gold at London 2012 followed by 15 straight knockout victories as a pro, Anthony Joshua (26) has long been the name on the lips of  heavyweight boxing pundits; his potential outstanding, physique extraordinary and personality charming. Nobody has ever questioned the fact that Joshua was destined to fight for a world title eventually, but to do it in just his 16th fight after previously having never met a world top 10 fighter is a surprise even to him. His marketability and growth in the public eye has led to much pressure and expectation. Of course it is of no fault of his own that he has been thrust into the spotlight so early in his career, it is nonetheless a risk to step up in class so significantly with so much riding on the result.

Martin himself is a relative new name to the scene having won 22 fights before meeting Glazkov for the belt vacated by Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury. The heavy hitting southpaw won the belt in unusual circumstances, Golovkin pulling out through injury after three rounds handing over the championship so to speak. As a result ‘Prince’ would see a victory tonight as his true coronation as heavyweight champion of the world.

The fight promises to be an interesting clash in styles. ‘Prince’ Martin fights in a southpaw stance,  moves well and has a heavy overhand left which he will look to throw behind Joshua’s jab. Weighing in for this fight at one pound heavier than his opponent the champion is less physically impressive than his challenger but instead prides himself on his boxing brain, heart and toughness sighting his tough upbringing as the catalyst to his success.

In stark contrast Joshua fights in an orthodox stance and has a pedigree of the highest caliber as reigning heavyweight Olympic gold medallist. The humble Londoner is sculpted like a bodybuilder and bases his style on technique and power. He has impressed pundits and fans alike with his fights to date but has not ever fought a fighter of the caliber of the champion. Joshua was rocked by a shot, if only momentarily by his last opponent Dillon Whyte, creating an air of uncertainty of his ability to take a shot from the best heavyweights in the world.

What makes this fight such an interesting spectacle in addition to the obvious high stakes, is the relative unknown current level of both fighters. Everybody has an opinion but the truth is that neither of these fighters has fought a marquee name or certainly not anybody of the quality of their opponent, and both are still developing and improving with each fight.  As has always been the case in Heavyweight boxing one punch can, and most probably will make all of the difference, especially with the known power of both individuals.

Getting to the position to throw a knockout punch will be crucial and technically Joshua would be seen to have the advantage in ‘boxing skill’ alone. Martin has a tendency to leave his hands relatively low and with the explosive power that Joshua possesses you could argue that a knockout in rounds 3-6 for Joshua may equate to an educated bet on the outcome. If Martin were to be caught early, Joshua has proven that he is a great finisher and may use his imposing power and athleticism to pounce on Martin. Joshua will look to dictate the centre of the ring and bring a tempo to the fight which he would hope would be too much for the champion leading to a knockout by the mid way point.

Prince Charles Martin is a great fighter in his own right and while many would have Joshua favourite based on his Olympic background and impressive skills, the champion is being criminally underrated. He is a ‘fighter’ who describes himself as just that. He does have a strong amateur background and has a frightening left cross that will cause Joshua all kinds of problems if he manages to land. Joshua also hasn’t ever fought a southpaw as a professional. This could lead to a period of uncertainty in which the challenger learns and picks where the shots come in, giving Martin a window of opportunity early on.

When analysing how this fight will pan out I think that there is a chance of an early knockout for both fighters. If Joshua struggles early to pick the southpaw and Martin lands we will most certainly learn about the Briton’s chin. If Joshua comes out flying as is usually the case he has the ability to put Martin away early. Where this fight will be interesting is between the 3rd and 9th rounds. With the explosive power of Joshua it is likely he will be able to maintain a high tempo for perhaps 7 rounds, he will hope to have the job done by then. The longer this fight goes the more likely it is that Joshua, carrying lots of upper body  muscle, is going to tire slightly and may leave himself open to getting caught by Martin. I cannot personally see the fight going the distance but if it did I would tip Joshua to win enough early rounds to hold on, but expect a close fight if that is the case. Whatever happens the fight will leave the victor with the world at their feet and big money bouts in the not too distant future with fellow champions Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder; for the defeated fighter this will not be the end but will certainly set them back a year at best.

Prediction: Joshua by KO in round 5

 

 

Fight of the century: Do the trainers hold the key extra few percent?

On Saturday night the fight that the people have been hoping to see for five years finally makes its way to the Las Vegas strip and into millions of homes across the globe. Dubbed The fight of the century, the two participants are two of the most decorated boxers of all time, dominating a plethora of weight classes over two decades. Mayweather is undefeated 47 and 0 and is regarded as a defensive genius. He has fought world-class boxers continuously, throughout his career and has always managed to adapt his fighting style in such a way that he has managed to eventually dominate nearly every opponent has ever faced.

With Mayweather’s career being one of such dominance, some may ask why this fight has so much hype and intrigue; what makes this fight different? The reason is that Pacquiao has been identified for years as the man who possesses the lightning in and out fighting style that has the ability to finally end Mayweather’s run.

Whereas Floyd is known more for his sublime efficiency, with the amount of times he’s been duly troubled in his career or even hit cleanly able to be counted on a mere single hand, Manny is an entertainer. He is slight in frame and stature but has outstanding hand speed and a ferocious power punch which has sent crowds into raptures all over the world. He takes far more risks than Mayweather and has been duly punished in the past indicated by the five losses in his career. He has avenged all of these defeats and there is not a contender on the planet he has not beaten, returning from each loss a stronger more rounded fighter.

With the two boxers being known pound for pound as two of the top boxers ever to grace the planet, a fight like this will be won with margins as fine as an extra one or two percent either way distinguishing the fights victor. There is no disputing that these two men have been pound for pound the best fighters on the planet for the last decade so this fight signals the end of an era; it determines once and for all who is the best fighter of their generation.

In addition to speed and punching power, one of the main reasons that Pacquiao is attributed to having the chance to beat Mayweather is due to him possessing one of the best trainers of all time in his corner, Freddie Roach. Roach and Pacquiao have a relationship that the depicts that of a father and son, they have been together since the beginning and have a bond like no other partnership around. This fight is the one that Roach has always wanted, it is the fight that will cement his place in the folklore of boxing as the legendary trainer who slayed Mayweather. Since this fight was first talked about five long years ago, Roach has always been gearing his fighter towards a style allowing him to one day be the one that ended Mayweather’s flawless journey. It has become an obsession and Roach is supremely confident that he has the plan to succeed.

In contrast to their opponents the Mayweather camp has always been a family run affair. Coached by both his uncle Roger and after a few years of absence now once again his father, Floyd Mayweather Snr is the man who heads Mayweather’s Corner. Both of these men were good boxers in their own respect, and the Mayweather’s are a family that knows boxing inside out. Mayweather has lived and breathed boxing since being just a young boy and has natural talent like not many ever to grace boxing.

It is often debated that despite having such a great coaching upbringing with his family, Floyd is a self taught phenomenon. He uses his brain in order to adapt to any fighting style within 4 to 5 rounds before picking off his opponents and winning in a dominant fashion. However, it has been many years since he has faced somebody of the class of  Pacquiao who may actually be the first fighter he believes could beat him in a long time.  In terms of tactics and how the fighters are being coached in the lead up to the fight, it is extremely possible that this is the area the vital one or two percent advantage is gained. With the fighters so well matched in terms of skill and success, the decisions made by the trainers could determine which fighter ends up on top.

While Floyd senior is a very respected coach and a hugely respected boxing man, there have always been some doubts over his training ability. In fact when when previously coming up against his adversary in this fight, Freddie Roach, he has a losing record. Floyd has actually been in the corner of Ricky Hatton when fighting against Pacquiao under the tutelage of Roach. In that fight it has always been thought that Hatton went in with a game plan which resembled suicide and played to the strengths of Pacquiao by rushing in with his chin exposed, resulting in a second round knockout.  Roach in contrast has been lauded for some great tactical decisions throughout his career when preparing fighters for unique challenges; in the build up to this fight if you directly compare the two coaches records in direct competition you would have to say that history indicates that has Pacquiao has the trainer with the better record. Some may argue that this is the extra one percent that could edge the fight in the favour of Pacquiao.

In direct contrast to this opinion you could instead argue that Roach has indeed lost already when training a fighter to fight against Mayweather in the past. He took a fighter who was on top of the world at the time Oscar De La Hoya, and came up short against the undefeated star. The effects of this could be analysed in two ways, firstly Mayweather will have gained confidence by the fact that Roach has tried before with a world-class fighter to stop his great rise to prominence, and failed! Though it could instead be argued that Roach has extra incentive and determination to write the wrong in his career that was losing Floyd Mayweather, giving his training methods extra bite in the build up to this contest.

Roach deserves credit for how he has managed to build Pacquiao back to his best performances, since being his  surprising brutal knock out by Marquez in recent years. This now may serve as a blessing in disguise for Pacquiao who as a result has less pressure and knows how it feels to lose such a big fight. He is as a result the underdog, a tag he enjoyed so much when stunning De La Hoya earlier in his career, and will feel less pressure in having less to lose and therefore more free to fight in a risky style. Mayweather is undefeated, has never been hurt and has never experienced how to come back from a set back. He has everything to lose and as a result will surely take less risks. If Pacquiao has Mayweather in trouble in this fight Floyd will have no experience from which to draw and it’s how he deals with this that may determine the winner. Floyd senior is seen as a great defensive coach but if Mayweather finds himself in trouble and needs to attack, his aggressive skill training will be under the microscope as it rarely has been before. Roach in contrast likes to pride his coaching on a fast paced artack from a variety of different angles and stances. Roach you would think holds the advantage in attacking tactics, with Floyd Senior the defensive. 

It’s important to consider when looking at the teams that Mayweather’s uncle Roger cannot be underestimated. While Floyd Senior will be named as the corner trainer a lot of Mayweather’s success of the past decade sits in the hands of his uncle Roger. Therefore to make clear conclusions over the fight based on any advantage that Roach may feel he holds over Floyd Snr may be misguided when he is preparing to beat Floyd junior.

The two trainers have been very hostile toward one another in the build up, more so that the fighters themselves, it will be interesting to find whether this has any effect over chosen tactics for the fight. Indications could be read that Floyd Snr is less than 100 percent confident going into the fight, he indicated that he believes ‘this should be Mayweather’s last fight’, in total contrast Roach is oozing confidence saying quite simply that ‘we’re gonna kick his ass’.
The trainers are just one of the subplots in what will be an incredible specatcle. When analysing their effect on this fight and confidence that is being shown, one would have to come to the conclusion that Roach holds an advantage over Floyd Snr. It would however be foolish to overlook that Mayweather has much more control over his training that any major fighter in the past and has done for a long time. While he may be seen to have the weaker trainer by some he more than makes up for it with his in fight intelligence and experience of having always got the job done in the past. We look forward to a fascinating fight.