Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion, is looking for his next opponent. Martin Bakole's team wants to step up to the challenge.
Dubois recently defended his title against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium. He knocked Joshua down three times and won by stoppage in front of a record crowd. Now, he's aiming for a fight in February.
While Dubois is open to a rematch with Joshua, it'll have to be in February. Joshua's team says he won't be ready by then.
Enter Martin Bakole, a highly ranked IBF contender. His trainer, Billy Nelson, told talkSPORT:
"We will [soon] be mandatory for Daniel Dubois who we would fight in a heartbeat. He's looking for an opponent in February, we'll take that in a heartbeat now, we'll sign that now, no problem."
Nelson calls Bakole "the most avoided man in boxing." He added:
"Everybody fears him. When do you ever hear any of these top heavyweights wanting to fight Martin Bakole? Not one guy has ever called him out. Ever."
Bakole's last fight was an inside-the-distance win over Jared Anderson. He knocked down the highly-rated American prospect early in the bout. This victory followed another notable win over Carlos Takam.
Right now, Bakole is set for purse bids for a fight with Agit Kabayel. The winner of that bout will become the mandatory challenger for Dubois' title.
Nelson is so confident in Bakole's chances against Dubois that he's willing to put money on it. He offered a side bet to promoter Frank Warren:
"I know Frank Warren has been shouting out some side bets recently. We'll have a bet with him on that fight, who wins that, we'll bet him the £200k he's talking about, we'll have a bet with him on that no problem."
The heavyweight division is heating up, and a Dubois-Bakole clash could be an exciting addition to the calendar. We'll have to wait and see if this challenge gets accepted.
