Martin Bakole Ordered to Face Undefeated Heavyweight for World Title Shot
Share
Martin Bakole is steadily working his way toward a shot at the world heavyweight title. The 31-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo has long seen himself as a dangerous fighter, often talking about how he has hurt or knocked out some of the best heavyweights during private sparring sessions.
In August, Martin Bakole had the chance to back up his words in a big fight against rising American star Jared Anderson. Bakole took Anderson’s punches without much trouble, and in return, he landed powerful shots that dropped Anderson three times before Bakole won by stoppage in the fifth round.
After the fight, Bakole called out the top fighters in the heavyweight division, looking for bigger challenges. His trainer, Billy Nelson, recently told Seconds Out that Bakole is being avoided by other fighters, so their best option is to force a title shot through the rankings.
That now seems to be happening. According to TalkSPORT’s Michael Benson, the IBF has ordered Martin Bakole to fight Agit Kabayel to decide who will be the number one challenger for Daniel Dubois’ world heavyweight title. Bakole and Kabayel are ranked third and fourth by the IBF, with the top two spots currently empty.
Daniel Dubois became the full champion after Oleksandr Usyk gave up the belt and recently defended it with a big win over Anthony Joshua. Both Bakole and Kabayel are well-regarded by the Riyadh Season promotion, where their fight is likely to take place.
Bakole has already won fights against Carlos Takam and Jared Anderson under this promotion, while Kabayel remains undefeated, having beaten Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez to revitalize his career.
If Bakole and Kabayel fight, it could also affect Joseph Parker’s plans, as he was previously mentioned to fight alongside them. Now, Parker might go for a rematch with Zhilei Zhang, whom he defeated on points back in March.
BYU Cougars I very delighted to find this internet site on bing, just what I was searching for as well saved to fav