Joshua: Charles Martin calm in face of hostility ahead of Anthony Joshua showdown

Charles Martin is relishing his role as villain and says he is ready to upset the O2 crowd by beating home favourite Anthony Joshua on Saturday night.

The IBF champion was booed as he trained in front of 1,000 people in east London ahead of the April 9 fight, live on Sky Sports Box Office, but he is focused solely on ending Joshua's unbeaten record.

"It's all entertainment," he told Sky Sports News HQ after his short workout at York Hall. "Handling the crowd and the people is a good thing, it's entertainment, but when I step in the ring, it's business. 

"It's strictly business because you can get hurt in this ring. You can walk out different to how you walked in, so I'll take it seriously. That's why I train 100 per cent for each fight.

"I can't get caught up in that sort of stuff. I just keep things simple. I don't complicate anything. Getting too focused on other people, I don't have time for that. All I have time for is training and getting ready for this fight."

Martin's co-trainer, Henry Tillman, says his boxer is taking it in his stride because he has faced crowd hostility in the past.

"Charles fought a lot of tough guys early on in his career. This is not the first time we've been to someone else's back yard and beaten an undefeated fighter with the crowd going like they're going - and he handled like a champion. 

Behind the Ropes: Charles Martin

"He didn't get mad. He didn't fight the crowd. He turned their attention to love. If you don't love me, just love the sport of boxing. He's a good student of this game, so he can elevate and step up. He's so calm and relaxed."

Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua, live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9. Order the event online.