Charles Martin vs. Anthony Joshua: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Anthony Joshua's (16-0, 16 KO) right hand is a dangerous weapon. On Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, he unleashed it on "Prince" Charles Martin (23-1-1). Joshua stopped Martin in the second round with two huge straight right hands. Both of them put the champion down, but he didn't beat the count after the second one.

Joshua's power display earned him the IBF heavyweight title as he ended Martin's brief one-fight reign.

Strictly Boxing Fans tweeted the final knockdown and Joshua's championship moment:

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix talked about Joshua's rise to superstardom:

Joshua came out patient and loose from the beginning of the bout. Martin looked tight and a little overcome by the amazing atmosphere at the O2 Arena. The pro-Joshua crowd erupted every time the Olympic medalist flexed a muscle. 

He controlled the first round with pressure and moderate activity. Joshua created some balance and uncertainty by throwing straight right hands to the body. The shots didn't hurt Martin, but they gave him something to think about.

In the second round, Martin attempted to be more aggressive, and that opened him up to eat the shots that would end the fight. The first big right hand dropped Martin to the seat of his pants. On the way down, Martin looked over to his corner in amazement.

It was the first time he'd been down in his career. He consciously waited for the count to get to eight and then rose to his feet. Seconds later, another straight right hand would deposit the big American (6'5") on the canvas again.

This time, he didn't crumple as neatly.   

His left arm looked pinned behind him, and Martin was in something of a partial surfboard position momentarily. Laceup Boxing has the image:

The 29-year-old smiled as if to say, "OK game on"; however, he didn't appear to have his wits about him. Martin again tried to allow referee Jean-Pierre Van Imschoot to get deep in his count.

However, somewhere between the demonstrative "seven" and "eight" counts, Martin lost time. He tried to hop to his feet just before 10, but Imschoot waved the fight off. Martin protested. But he did miss the count and his demeanor didn't look like that of a champion who still thought he had a chance to retain his title.

British welterweight Frankie Gavin wasn't buying the sincerity of Martin's protest:

Mayhem ensued as the entire O2 Arena celebrated the ninth Brit to capture a piece of the heavyweight world title. Fellow heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (WBC) and welterweight contender Danny "Swift" Garcia were among those impressed by Joshua's performance:

Tom Craze of Bad Left Hook is already fantasizing about Joshua's next potential opponent:

There's no question, the biggest tickets in the heavyweight division are Joshua and David Haye. If those two met in England's most famed football stadium, it would be the biggest fight of the year from a monetary standpoint.

A fight with Wilder would also be huge, as would a clash with WBA and WBO champion Tyson Fury. The latter must get past Wladimir Klitschko again in July, but if he does, that's another huge fight for Joshua. 

The heavyweight division is making a strong comeback and at 26 years old, Joshua has a chance to lead the charge. It's unclear when he'll be back in the ring, but after just over a round of work, he shouldn't need a ton of recovery time.

Many boxing fans have been looking to the welterweight and middleweight divisions to find the guy who would take over as the top star in the game after Floyd Mayweather Jr's retirement. If he continues to win, Joshua could be that guy.

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