Heavyweight contender Martin Bakole predicts a knockout victory for his fight against unbeaten American Jared Anderson on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs) says he can’t wait to take the 24-year-old Jared Anderson’s rankings after knocking him out in their fight on ESPN+ PPV on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov.
It’s unclear whose idea it was for the still novice-level Jared to fight a talented, proven heavyweight like Bakole. He’s not ready for this type of match-up, and it proves disastrous for the Top Rank-promoted Anderson.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh may have wanted this matchup, which is excellent for the fans, but it may not end well for Anderson. He’s being thrown into the deep end after 17 fights against Ham and Eggers.
If Anderson loses the fight, Top Rank must start over with him and match him tougher. It would be a good idea to get a different trainer, and have him lose the Shakur style of fighting he adopted.
Anderson is ranked #4 WBO, #5 IBF, #6 WBC, and #13 WBA. However, that ranking is based more on what the four sanctioning bodies believe to be Anderson’s potential rather than on his having beaten anyone of quality yet during his five-year career.
The only notable win on Anderson’s resume is 38-year-old Charles Martin, and he looked poor against him last year in July 2023, getting hurt twice during the contest.
It appeared that Anderson had adopted the fighting style of his friend Shakur Stevenson, using the same three-step pull-back style. Martin quickly figured Anderson out and went after him to nail him with shots. That boring style caused Anderson to be booed in his last fight against Ryad Merhy.
Anderson played it safe the entire ten-round contest, retreating when attacked and showing no aggression against a guy who was designed to be a showcase opponent. He will have to change his Shakur-esque style if he hopes to beat Martin Bakole on August 3rd because it won’t work against this type of talent.
“After beating him, I’ll be in a good position. I’ll take his ranking. Anderson is #1 in America. He’s good in the rankings,” said Martin Bakole to talkSport Boxing about his opponent Jared Anderson ahead of their fight on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Bakole, 31, is surprisingly ranked below Anderson despite having a better resume. This shows how hype affects the four sanctioning bodies.
“I’m very focused on beating him because he’s a big name in America. I’m making my debut in America. I’m seeing a knockout,” said Bakole when asked about his prediction for his fight against Jared at the BMO Stadium.
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