Comfortably retired and in deep into the promotional game, Oscar De La Hoya has an eye for a standout fighter.
The Golden Boy head honcho has helped build the star power of Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez and Ryan Garcia and is currently raising the profile of the likes of William Zepeda and Vergil Ortiz.
He doesn’t have a big name heavyweight on his books, but if he was to push for one, current deals aside, it might just be Martin Bakole.
The 31-year-old recently announced himself on the big stage by stopping Jared Anderson in five rounds with relative ease, pausing the rise of America’s next heavyweight hope.
Speaking to FightHype, De La Hoya gave his views from ringside, comparing the fearsome Bakole to one George Foreman.
“I felt pretty bad for Jared who got knocked out against a beast. I mean, that kid reminded me of George Foreman. Heavy-handed. Big. I feel Jared will be back. It was a great fight, no shame in his game, he’s a great fighter.”
Plenty happy to take shots to land his own, Foreman was known for closing the distance slowly but surely on opponents, working his way in with thudding shots. Patient and punishing, it lead him to two world heavyweight championships twenty years apart.
Bakole’s decision to stand centre ring and let shots bounce off him in the first round before unleashing a six-punch combination to floor the 24-year-old was indeed akin to the heavyweight legend.
As Anderson licks his wounds and plots a careful comeback, Bakole has captured the US audience after being well-regarded but not often seen on UK shores.
The thumping hitter from Congo, fighting out of Scotland, is in good favour with the Riyadh Season promotion, so fans can bet they will see him again soon in an equally intriguing match-up. For him, he wants Zhilei Zhang, and there’s no fan of heavyweight boxing that would turn the channel on that.
