Bakole's momentum picked up steam after a stoppage victory over Carlos Takam in Saudi Arabia. He followed that up with an even more impressive win in the United States. There, he faced the undefeated Jared Anderson in what turned out to be a thrilling contest. Bakole knocked Anderson down early and eventually stopped him in the fifth round with a barrage of punches.
These victories have put Bakole in a great position for a world title shot soon. He's got his sights set on some big names in the division. Daniel Dubois, the current IBF champion, and Zhilei Zhang are on his radar. Bakole has even claimed he once stopped Oleksandr Usyk in sparring with a body shot.
But there's one fight Bakole really wants - a rematch with Michael Hunter, the only man to beat him so far. Former world champion Hasim Rahman thinks this is the fight to make. In an interview with FightHype, Rahman shared his thoughts:
"The Hunter Bakole match-up would be ideal. If Bakole really wants to show himself as a top, top heavyweight he needs to rematch Michael Hunter and show that wasn't a fluke. If he can beat Hunter again, I think he's legitimate. But if he don't rematch Michael Hunter it don't matter what else he can do. If he can't beat Michael Hunter, he's not better than Michale Hunter."
Rahman didn't stop there. He made a bold prediction for a potential rematch:
"Not only do I think it would be a stoppage, I think it would be a quicker, earlier stoppage. Bakole is way overweight, strong, but Michael Hunter is not going to let him hit him and take away his strengths."
It's worth noting that Hunter has only fought three times since 2021 and hasn't been very active lately. A fight against the in-form Bakole would be a huge challenge for the naturally smaller Hunter.
As Bakole continues to climb the heavyweight ranks, fans will be eager to see who he faces next. Will he get his rematch with Hunter? Or will he set his sights on one of the division's top names? Whatever happens, Martin Bakole has certainly made himself a fighter to watch in the heavyweight division.