Anthony Joshua Casts Charles Martin Prediction, Eyes Tyson Fury and David Haye

Anthony Joshua believes it will "probably take about seven rounds" for him to beat Charles Martin when the pair square off on April 9. He is then targeting matches with both Tyson Fury and David Haye. 

According to the Daily Mail's Jeff Powell, the 26-year-old said of his upcoming bout with IBF heavyweight champion Martin:

"

I know this is my biggest test to date. I know Martin is a big puncher with an impressive knockout record of his own, so I will be patient. Pick my shots. Make sure I don’t run on to one of his big wild left swings with 18 stone behind it. Break him down. Then take him out with one of my bombs. It will probably take about seven rounds.

"

Joshua has won every fight of his professional career via knockout, with his first 14 fights ending in the first three rounds. As he indicated, one of his keys to success has been his capacity to dish out big hits on his opponents, such as in his knockout of Raphael Zumbano Love:

His last outing in the ring was by far the longest as Dillian Whyte took the Olympic gold medallist to seven rounds, so the Englishman is clearly anticipating a similar encounter.

Boxing pundit John Evans believes the pair are well-matched, and highlighted Martin's right hook as one of his best shots:

If he gets by his American opponent on Saturday, Joshua is aiming to take on his compatriots and is confident he has the experience to come out on top, per Powell:

"

There are massive UK stadium fights to be had with fights between me, Fury and [Haye]. We have to face one another the way heavyweight champions did in the past. We have to make each other part of our legacy.

[Haye] needs to build his comeback. [Fury] must beat [Wladimir] Klitschko again. I will take care of Martin. Then we three have to brace up and get it on.

I believe I will soon be seasoned enough to beat them both. Then, as unified world champion, I know the pressures and the role-model responsibilities will grow much greater. I’m preparing myself for that, too. I will handle it.

"

After three-and-a-half years out of the sport, Haye marked his return to the ring in January with a first-round knockout of Mark de Mori, and he will fight Arnold Gjergjaj in May.

As for Fury, his last bout saw him strip Klitschko of his heavyweight titles and extend his record to 25-0. He revealed he is eager to take on the winner of Joshua and Martin:

Joshua's last opponent, Whyte, is eager to fight him again whatever the results of Joshua's upcoming bouts, per Sky Sports News HQ:

Should Joshua fail to beat Martin it could delay his plans to fight Fury, as the 27-year-old is at the top of his game and is targeting the IBF title after being stripped of it for failing to face mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov. However, a win would almost certainly see them face off.

Haye will likely be a different story, however, due to his comeback still being in its early stages, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if Joshua meets him regardless.