Joseph Parker and Martin Bakole are set to face off in a matter of hours following a whirlwind few days in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bakole, who was in the Congo at the time he received the call, didn’t hesitate to step in to save the co-main event and challenge for Parker’s WBO Interim belt.
The main talking point surrounding the fight is Bakole’s fitness and how many rounds he will have in the tank without a full training camp and after a three-flight, 3800 mile trip to get to the arena on time. Parker, on the other hand, has been through months of focused efforts in the gym, albeit for Dubois rather than the different but equally tough prospect of Bakole.
The pair have sparred in the past in Tyson Fury’s Morecambe gym, and so will know the strengths of the other man well. Ahead of the fight, ‘The Gypsy King’ took to Instagram to back close friend Parker, but wished good luck to both men.
“We love you, Joe. Bring it home, bro! Both good men putting on a good show.”
Parker will likely look to weather any storm in the hope to take advantage of a Bakole who surely can’t be looking to go to the later rounds. The 31-year-old from Africa, however, is guaranteed to make the early stages as rough and tough as possible.
