Joseph Parker made light work of an incredibly heavy man as he demolished rotund late replacement Martin Bakole within two rounds in Riyadh.
Parker was due to have a shot at IBF champion Daniel Dubois but the British fighter withdrew due to illness during fight week, with Bakole stepping in at two days’s notice.
Joseph Parker vs. Daniel Dubois: Where The Fight Will Be Won And Lost
The Scottish-based Congolese powerhouse missed the official weigh-in as he flew from Congo to Saudi Arabia via Ethiopia and tipped the scales unofficially at 315 lbs.
Despite his impressively vaulting the top rope on the way into the ring, Bakole was evidently in nothing like fighting shape. He still made his poundage pay with a couple of heavy jabs and trademark shot right hands to leave Parker with a bloodied nose.
However, when he plodded forward inside the final minute of the second round, Bakole was caught by an overhand right on the top of his head that entirely robbed him of his equilibirum.
Bakole looked like he would fail to beat the count. He did, just, but trainer Billy Nelson threw in the towel.
“How about I fight for a world title next?!” – @joeboxerparker
Parker retained the interim version of the WBO title he held between 2016 and 2018. His six-fight winning streak since losing to Joe Joyce in September 2022 has been exemplary, slaying Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang to earn his place back at the top table by doing the hard yards.
Bakole has also battled gamely to earn his shot after losing to Michael Hunter in 2018. Nelson has spent the interim period telling all and sundry how his man would demolish any heavyweight on the planet.
His win over American hopes Jared Anderson was superb and, on reflection, you have to wonder whether his lauded jump into the breach at short notice to face Parker in condition for the fight of his life was wise.
Bakole looked just concluded the holiday of his life and was dangerously ill-conditioned to fight an elite heavyweight. You have to hope, for his sake, that the pay packet is worth it and the reputational damage isn’t too severe.
Having been credited for “saving” the “best fight card of all time” Bakole was made to look like a chancer by an exemplary professional. He’s better than that. Parker, meanwhile, might just keep getting better.
BBC
