Written by Daniele D'Alessio
Martin Bakole broke American hearts with his five-round knockout of Jared Anderson on August 3. The Congolese heavyweight was finally given the chance to fight a highly respected opponent and produced a powerful performance.
It was a performance that not only caught the attention of the entire team but made fans wonder if all those good stories with Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois were true.
Professional boxing is full of smoke and mirrors. It is a game driven by vision and ideas. Entering the tournament, Anderson was chosen as the next American heavyweight champion of the world—one that many believed was superior to the unknown Bakole.
At the grand finale, Anderson danced to the music as victory was assured. However, on the night of the fight, it didn't take long for Bakole to knock him down in the first round and get him fired up before he knocked him out twice in the fifth to close the gap.
With the three American judges scoring the belt, Bakole was not expected to win on points when it came to the fight, but any contention was extinguished by Anderson's opposition.
Bakole's coach, Billy Nelson, has been praising his batsman for the past few years. Nelson's interviews with the media were like a meme—fun but not taken seriously. However, with Bakole impressing with his beauty from the ringside view, he may have another big fight as part of Riyadh's season. And Nelson's comments may have to be taken with a grain of salt.
France's Tony Yoka takes on Congo's Martin Bakole in their 10-round International Heavyweight boxing match at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris on May 14, 2022. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images )
However, Bakole does not have a list of high-quality wins on his resume. The 32-year-old suffered a tenth-round knockout loss to Michael Hunter in 2018. The loss, in retrospect, slowed his career progression. Especially since Hunter went on to draw with Alexander Povetkin and Jerry Forrest – an opponent he has already defeated in his fifth fight.
Bakole first impressed by defeating undefeated Tony Yoka in France until the former Olympian lost two straight fights after that. Meanwhile, a fourth-round stoppage of 40-year-old Carlos Takam served as more of a household name on his record, though he took care of the veteran faster than Joshua, Joseph Parker, and Dereck Chisora.
No one knows the full story, however Bakole's recent win over Anderson and his struggles to get meaningful fights may be related to his being avoided in the heavyweight division. 'Who needs a club' is packed with punches, especially when you are someone like Bakole, who is on the eye test, has the ability to give any of these tough players a hard night's work but lacks the following to be considered as a player. fair risk.
A big man who has weighed over 275 lbs in his last five fights, mixed with a solid work rate, punch selection, power, and a strong chin, you probably don't need to have a sparring session with Bakole to know he's not easy. to beat.
Bakole is ranked number one in the WBA and is ranked number six in the WBC rankings. So, if the mammoth heavyweight is going to get the world title, he might face the winner of the Fury-Usyk rematch scheduled for December. A fight between either team will show where Bakole stands in the heavyweight landscape.
Regardless, with Turki Alalshikh pulling the strings and continuing to wear impressive boxing cards, Bakole's days as an outsider may be coming to an end. In retrospect, it's surprising that a 24-year-old like Anderson chose to share the ring with a monster like Bakole. However, boxing is a business and the 'Real Big Kid' must have had many financial motives.
Three years ago, someone like Bakole had trouble getting his foot in the door. But with Turki, there are bags of stars on the line and this could be enough to tempt another top heavyweight to box Bakole. This includes those who have already appeared in the Riyadh season such as Agit Kabayel, Zhilei Zhang, and Joseph Parker, who do not have a title coming up soon but could make for a great fight on the main card.
All in all, Bakole hasn't proven to be one of the top heavyweights yet. However, his win over Anderson could be the catalyst for his much-needed career.
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