Martin Bakola set up May Fight in New York after a knockout defeat to Joseph Parker | Boxing news
Martin Bakola will be awarded a “great” heavy color in New York in May after his defeat of Joseph Parker on Saturday.
Bakole flew to Riyadh in two days to replace the champion IBF Daniel Dubois after the brit got sick in front of the title defense.
The Congoon fighter suffered a brutal loss in the second round from Parker, but his promoter Ben Shala believes he will not wait long to return his career to the right path.
Shalom said Sky Sports News: “Martin wanted to take a great opportunity to save the show. It was always a huge risk, and I don’t know any other fighter on the planet who would do it.
“But he wanted the fight for a guarantee that he was fighting a big fight in May with notification.
“We still believe that he is the most dangerous heavyweight category on the planet and will show that it is with a training camp for his next fight.”
Before agreing to take over Parker, it was expected that Bakola would face a colleague of the Effe Ajagba heavyweight category at the IBF eliminator to earn a future shot in Dubois title.
It remains unclear how IBF will watch Bakole’s decision to face the parker, not to wait for the eliminator against Ayagba.
Before defeating Parker, Bakola (21-2) built a reputation as one of the most dangerous and avoiding fighters in severe division.
He composed a series of 10 consecutive wins after the defeat of Michael Hunter in 2018, the last of which was an impressive victory in August 2024 over American prospectus Jared Anderson.
