Joseph Parker stopped late-replacement opponent Martin Bakole inside two rounds this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to retain his WBO Interim heavyweight belt.
Parker was days away from a shot at the IBF World Title before champion Daniel Dubois was forced out of the fight due to illness. Bakole travelled around 4,000 miles to save the co-main event, arriving on 2AM on the day of the fight.
The general consensus was the big man from the Congo would look to get the job done quickly due to a lack of proper preparation and therefore fitness. He looked to punish Parker when in range and landed some heavy blows in doing so.
As the action was heating up in the second round with both men looking to exchange, Parker landed an overhand right that glanced the top of Bakole’s head, discombobulating him and sending him to the canvas. Trainer Billy Nelson had a look at his charge when he made it to his feet and called a halt to the contest.
Speaking to Box Nation after the action, Parker discussed the fight and admitted Bakole hurt him during the minutes fought.
“Martin took the fight on short notice so wasn’t as prepared as I was, but he gave it his best shot and I was able to land that right hand and stop the fight. I’m very happy … I’ve sparred him before so I knew he was going to be dangerous. The punches that he did land hurt, so I was happy he didn’t land any more.”
As for what’s next now that he has beaten three of the division’s biggest punchers, the New Zealand fan-favourite is looking to become a two-time world champion after coming so close to his shot last week.
“World title next. It’d be awesome to fight Usyk or Dubois. First, we’re going to take a break and go home to see the family. It’s not in my control. I can only look forward to what I can control and if it’s for a world title next, it’d be amazing … Hard work, faith and believing in yourself.”
Dubois’ team may not look to reschedule the voluntary defence against Parker and go straight into an undisputed fight with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, meaning the New Zealander could be biding his time once more.
