Bakole calls himself "the most avoided heavyweight on the planet." He's got good reason to be confident. He recently stopped Jared Anderson, handing the American his first loss with multiple knockdowns. The win over the highly-rated Anderson was a big deal in the boxing world.
Right now, Bakole's getting ready to fight Efe Agagba. The winner of that fight will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title.
Daniel Dubois currently holds that IBF heavyweight belt. He got it after knocking out Fillip Hrgovic in June. Before that, Dubois had a career-best win over Anthony Joshua, stopping him in five rounds in London last September.
Dubois will defend his title against Joseph Parker on February 22. Parker, a former WBO champion, has been on a roll lately. He's beaten both Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder in recent fights.
Bakole shared his thoughts on the upcoming Dubois-Parker fight in an interview with talkSPORT Boxing. He's picking Parker to win:
"I think Joseph Parker will win the fight because Daniel Dubois, we saw him against Usyk, Daniel Dubois doesn't want to fight someone who is moving a lot and I think Joseph Parker will do the same. That's my opinion, Parker will take over and win the fight."
Bakole's not alone in his prediction. A boxer who's sparred with both Dubois and Parker also thinks Parker will come out on top.
The heavyweight division's heating up, and this fight will definitely shake things up at the top. We'll see if Bakole's prediction comes true on February 22.