Anthony Joshua might face Martin Bakole in his next fight. Bakole dropped this bombshell in a recent interview, revealing plans for a big heavyweight clash in Africa.
Joshua, the two-time heavyweight champion, last fought in September. He beat Daniel Dubois with a 5th round knockout at Wembley Stadium to win the IBF heavyweight title. Since then, fans have wondered about his next move. There was talk about a fight with Tyson Fury, but Fury's recent retirement announcement put those plans to rest.
Now, it looks like Joshua's next opponent will be Martin Bakole. The 35-year-old Joshua has said he wants to fight in Africa, and Bakole claims this match is in the works.
Bakole's got an impressive record. He's won 21 out of 22 fights, with 16 knockouts. His last three fights ended in stoppages within six rounds. In August, he knocked out Jared Anderson in the 5th round. He's also beaten Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka in 2022 and Carlos Takam in 2023. His only loss was to Michael Hunter back in 2018.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Bakole shared some exciting news:
"I love that fight, and I would like to say thank you to [His] Excellency because he's behind this. He said 'Martin we have a big fight in America, finish with [Efe] Ajagba and then Anthony Joshua is next in Africa.'"
Bakole was talking about Turki Alalshikh, a big name in boxing promotion. He's the one setting up this potential fight.
Bakole added:
"Even I heard Anthony Joshua said he needs to fight in Africa, so all he need was a promoter or someone to promote that fight. Between me and him in Africa that will be a good fight."
This match-up will be a tough test for Joshua. Bakole's known as one of the most avoided fighters in the division. His recent performances have shown he's a real threat to anyone in the heavyweight class.
With both fighters keen on competing in Africa, and a powerful promoter backing the idea, we might see this exciting heavyweight bout soon. It's a fight that'll grab the attention of boxing fans worldwide.
