Heavyweight contender Martin Bakole was welcomed home as a hero by his fans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after defeating Jared Anderson by a fifth-round knockout last Saturday night at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
(Photo credit: Boxxer)
Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) made easy work of the previously unbeaten Jared (17-1, 15 KOs), dropping him three times before the contest was stopped in the fifth round in the fight of the night on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s event.
With the win, Bakole, 31, is looking for what’s next for him. Ideally, he’d like to get a crack at the winner of the December 21st fight between WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight champions Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, but that’s unrealistic.
Who’s Next for Bakole?
Bakole’s next could come against one of these contenders:
– Zhilei Zhang
– Joseph Parker
– Agit Kabayel: Fighting the unbeaten Kabayel would be the best option for Bakole to get a quick title shot.
Parker would be a good option, but his promoters will likely maneuver him carefully, keeping him away from dangerous fighters until he gets a title shot or a rematch against Anthony Joshua. Bakole is too risky for Parker, who has changed his style to become a crafty safety-first fighter who boxes and moves. Picture a retro version of Chris Byrd with more power and less talent.
“That was a devastating performance from Martin Bakole. The whole heavyweight division is now on notice,” said promoter Ben Shalom, reacting to Bakole’s victory over Jared Anderson. “Jared Anderson was brave; he showed a lot of heart, but Martin ground him down and finished him in style.
“There are a lot of big fights out there for him – the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, Zhilei Zhang, Joseph Parker, Agit Kabayel.
Agit Kabayel would be an excellent choice for Bakole to fight because he is powerful, highly ranked, and fearless. He recently defeated Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Nôtre arrivée à Kinshasa 🇨🇩
Merci beaucoup bana mboka 🙏🫶 @DidierBudimbu @Presidence_RDC @L2Box1 pic.twitter.com/IvyGFNNXHP— Martin Bakole (@MartinBakole01) August 10, 2024
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