Martin Bakole wants to get his career back on track after a couple of tough fights. The heavyweight contender has had some ups and downs lately, but he's not giving up.
Bakole's been on a roll for a while. He's fought 24 times and picked up some big wins along the way. He beat Tony Yoka and Carlos Takam, which were great victories for him. But his most impressive win came in August 2024 when he knocked out Jared Anderson, who was a hyped American fighter known for his knockout power.
Things got a bit tricky for Bakole recently. In February, he stepped in at the last minute to fight Joseph Parker. He replaced Daniel Dubois and didn't have time to prepare properly. Bakole wasn't in shape and Parker stopped him in two rounds. Then, at the start of May, he fought Efe Ajagba and got a majority decision draw. Many people thought Bakole was lucky to get that draw.
Now, there's talk about a potential fight between Bakole and Moses Itauma. Frank Warren, a boxing promoter, spoke about this possibility on talkSPORT Boxing. He said:
"Let's do it. Absolutely. Until the big guys come along, Moses is learning but every fighter is learning on the job. Daniel Dubois would say he is learning in the gym and he's fighting for the undisputed, so as long as you're learning it doesn't mean you can't go and do the business against some of the big guys at 20 or 30 years old. If Hrgovic or Bakole presents itself at some point this year we'll grab it with both hands."
Itauma seems confident about his chances against Bakole. When asked on Box Nation if he could stop a fully fit Bakole, Itauma said he was "100%" sure he could.
Itauma's got a pretty good record so far. He's won all 12 of his fights, with 10 of those wins coming by stoppage. He's beaten some solid opponents like Demsey McKean and Mariusz Wach. Just this past weekend in Glasgow, Itauma knocked out Mike Balogun inside two rounds to keep his WBA International Heavyweight title.
Bakole's not impressed with all this talk, though. He told Seconds Out that Itauma's team is "making a big mistake" by calling him out.
Frank Warren calls Itauma "the next heavyweight king," but Bakole's looking to prove he's still a force to be reckoned with. If this fight happens, it'll be a big test for the rising Itauma and a chance for Bakole to show he's still got what it takes.
