Martin Bakole Needs To Make A Splash In 2024
Top heavyweight contender Martin Bakole (20-1, 15KO) has been unable to capitalize on the biggest win of his career. Despite holding the number one ranking by the WBA, he remains conspicuously absent from the heavyweight championship conversation.
On May 14, 2022, Bakole delivered a convincing victory over then top-rated contender Tony Yoka. This triumph should have propelled him into the championship picture, with many boxing pundits anticipating significant bouts on the horizon as we entered 2023.
However, Bakole found himself on the outside looking in. Equally significant, despite securing back-to-back knockouts in 2023, he failed to make a lasting impact. Furthermore, his victories did not move the needle with the other sanctioning bodies, as he is rated #7 WBC, and #11 IBF, and is not ranked with the WBO.
The 31-year-old secured a knockout over the relatively unknown Ihor Shevadzutskyi in April 2023. Unfortunately, his victory went largely unnoticed due to the fight’s location in Poland.
He followed this by defeating the seasoned Carlos Takam, who had previously bested Yoka. Unfortunately, this accomplishment was overshadowed by WBC champion Tyson Fury’s abysmal performance against former MMA champion Francis Ngannou.
WHO SHOULD HE POSSIBLY FIGHT NEXT?
On the Day of Reckoning mega-fight card, featuring some of the top heavyweights for the viewing public, Bakole’s absence was conspicuous. Fighters such as Frank Sanchez, Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel, and Joseph Parker made strong cases as title contenders.
Bakole’s name continues to go unmentioned whenever discussions about significant fights in the division arise. He can change this by fighting some of the other contenders such as Fabio Wardley, Agit Kabayel, or Efe Ajagba. All three of the names suggested are coming off impressive wins.
For 2024, the top priority must be for his promoter, Boxxer, to increase visibility for the fighter from the Democratic Republic of The Congo.
