Martin Bakole‘s next fight has been revealed.
Bakole had a whirlwind few days in February when he stepped in on short notice to take on heavyweight contender Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia.
Parker was originally set to challenge Daniel Dubois for his IBF heavyweight title, but with just 48 hours to go until fight night, Dubois pulled out of the bout through illness.
A number of opponents were linked to face Parker, but in the end it was Bakole who was chosen to step in and go up against the New Zealander.
It led to a crazy series of events, with Bakole taking two flights from Congo and arriving into Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Saturday morning, missing the official weigh-in and coming in at 310lbs when he weighed in separately on fight day.
The fairytale ended there though, with Bakole knocked out in devastating fashion inside two rounds by Parker, losing his highest-ranked position with the IBF in the process.
While he may no longer be in line for a shot at the IBF heavyweight title, Bakole is still set to take on the man he was scheduled to face in a final eliminator.
That is Efe Ajagba, the Nigerian star with a record of 20-1, 14 of those wins coming by stoppage. He was last in action in April when he claimed a split decision victory over Guido Vianello.
The fight between Bakole and Ajagba will take place on the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull card on May 3 in Riyadh, and Bakole took to social media to share his gratitude for the opportunity.
“Ready to go again. many thanks to his excellency Turki Alalshikh for keeping up your promise.”
The main event between Canelo and Scull will give the Mexican icon the opportunity to become undisputed at 168lbs again, with Canelo holding the WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight titles, while Scull is the reigning IBF super-middleweight champion.
