A top heavyweight contender has promised to knock out IBF champion Daniel Dubois when they face each other.
The 27-year-old from London became IBF heavyweight champion last June when he was elevated from ‘Interim’ status after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title shortly after defeating Tyson Fury to become the undisputed champion.
Dubois made the first defence of his title against two-time world champion Anthony Joshua last September at Wembley Stadium, knocking out his British rival in the fifth round of a thrilling heavyweight showdown.
‘Dynamite’ has now been targeted by hard-hitting heavyweight contender Martin Bakole, with the 31-year-old vowing to knock out the Brit in the opening round of their potential clash, having previously claimed he had stopped the Brit twice in sparring.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Bakole didn’t hesitate to predict a crushing knockout victory for himself in a fight against Dubois
“Daniel Dubois? Knock him out first round or second round.”
Since suffering the first defeat of his career against Michael Hunter in October 2018, Bakole has won his last ten contests with eight of those coming inside the scheduled distance. He has defeated the likes of Sergey Kuzmin, Tony Yoka and Carlos Takam along the way, as well as highly-rated American prospect Jared ‘Big Baby’ Anderson, knocking out the previously undefeated 25-year-old in the fifth round of their contest last August.
The 31-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo is now gearing up to face Nigerian star Efe Ajagba in a final eliminator for Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title. His promoter Ben Shalom has said his man will face Dubois next, providing ‘DDD’ can get past Joseph Parker on February 22.
“If Bakole beats Efe Ajagba in May, he will be mandatory challenger to fight for the IBF world title, and we will be looking to enforce that mandatory immediately. He will be front of the queue and that fight will have to happen next.”
