Martin Bakole's trainer Billy Nelson has raised concerns about a lack of communication with the heavyweight boxer's promoter, BOXXER. Nelson revealed that he hasn't heard from the promotion company in 10 weeks.
Bakole, who's had a challenging year in the ring, is feeling the effects of this silence. The heavyweight stepped in on short notice to face Joseph Parker in February, suffering a second-round TKO defeat. He followed that up with a heavily-criticized majority decision draw against Efe Ajagba in May.
Despite these setbacks, Bakole's previous wins over Jared Anderson and Carlos Takam had positioned him as a formidable contender in the heavyweight division. BOXXER's CEO Ben Shalom once called Bakole "the most avoided fighter in the division."
Nelson shared his frustrations with Boxing Social, saying:
"I've had no contact from BOXXER for 10 weeks now which is very concerning. There have been no returns of phone calls with Ben Shalom. Bitterly disappointed with that but hopefully he'll pick up the phone shortly and we can start discussing the next fight."
The radio silence comes at a time when BOXXER is dealing with its own challenges. The promotion company is currently searching for a new TV deal after its partnership with Sky Sports ended earlier in the summer. They're also reportedly set to lose fighter Joshua Buatsi to rival promoter Queensberry.
These developments have created uncertainty about Bakole's next fight and his future with BOXXER. As the highest-ranked heavyweight in Shalom's stable, Bakole's team will be keen to get clarity on their next steps in this competitive division that includes stars like Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder.
