Martin never had to beat a reigning champion to get the belt, then surrendered it in his first defense against Joshua. Gareth A. Davies believes a stoppage win would make Itauma’s first title victory more impressive than Joshua’s demolition of Martin. “I’d like to see a stoppage of Filip Hrgovic, but if you want the major statement, that’s it. If Itauma runs through Hrgovic anyway, the belt will only tell part of the story. Joshua flattened Martin, but Itauma would have stopped the better heavyweight.