Martin Bakole is gearing up for a comeback fight against Efe Ajagba on May 3 in Riyadh. The heavyweight bout will feature on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez's undisputed super-middleweight championship clash with William Scull.
Bakole's last outing didn't go as planned. He stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Daniel Dubois, who pulled out of a fight with Joseph Parker due to illness just 48 hours before the event. Bakole made a mad dash from Congo, taking two flights and arriving in the early hours of Saturday morning. He missed the official weigh-in and tipped the scales at 310lbs on fight day.
The short-notice gamble didn't pay off for Bakole, as Parker knocked him out in the second round. This loss cost Bakole his highest-ranked position with the IBF.
Now, Bakole's looking to bounce back against Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba. Ajagba brings a solid 20-1 record with 14 knockouts to the table. His last fight was a split decision win over Guido Vianello in April.
Bakole shared his excitement for the upcoming bout on social media. He posted:
"Ready to go again. many thanks to his excellency Turki Alalshikh for keeping up your promise."
The Bakole-Ajagba fight was originally set to be a final eliminator. It'll now serve as an intriguing heavyweight clash on a stacked card topped by Canelo Alvarez defending his WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight titles against IBF champion William Scull.
