Deontay Wilder no better than Charles Martin, says Peter Fury

By Isaac Robinson

Image: Peter Fury believes Charles Martin (pictured) is 'equally' as good as Deontay Wilder

Peter Fury believes new IBF world heavyweight champion Charles Martin is just as good as WBC holder Deontay Wilder.

Trainer Fury masterminded his nephew Tyson's march to world title glory in November when the British fighter  outpointed Wladimir Klitschko to snatch the WBA Super, WBO and IBF crowns.

Fury (25-0-KO18) was promptly stripped of the IBF strap when Klitschko activated a rematch clause, leaving America's Martin (23-0-1-KO21) to face mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov in New York on January 16.

I think Martin is equally as good as Wilder, as far as I can see. He looks impressive and I think he's up there. He has to be taken seriously.
Peter Fury

Although Martin became champion due to a serious knee injury to Glazkov that ended the fight in the third round, Peter Fury was impressed by the 29-year-old and believes he has shown as much as Wilder (36-0-KO35), who struggled before recording a ninth-round stoppage of Artur Szpilka on Sunday.

He told Sky Sports: "I had Wilder a couple of rounds behind before the knockout. He got the knockout and that was the main thing but it wasn't an impressive performance.

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"Charles Martin looks very good. From what I've seen of him, he's useful. I had him beating Glazkov before the injury and saw the fight going only one way, to be honest.

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"I think Martin is equally as good as Wilder, as far as I can see. He looks impressive and I think he's up there. He has to be taken seriously and he's the IBF champion now. I liked his punches and the way he was relaxed.

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"Martin was doing everything properly. I haven't seen much but from what I have seen, he looks impressive."

Fury was less impressed by the comeback of former WBA world champion David Haye, who returned with an emphatic first-round victory over Mark de Mori at The O2.

He said: "I didn't really make anything of it. David Haye did everything properly but his opponent was some weight-lifter from Croatia so what do you want me to say? He was a non-boxer."

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