Martin Bakole reportedly weighed in at 310 lbs for his fight tonight against WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The weight will obviously make him a little slower than the 284 lbs he came into his previous fight against Jared Anderson last August, but it won’t affect his punching power. With the added weight, he’s going to have massive power and perhaps even more. I don’t see this hurting his performance tonight.
Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) was down twice in his last fight against Zhilei Zhang, and he should have been knocked out in that fight if the two-time Olympian hadn’t faded so early. Bakole won’t gas out like Zhang. The New Zealander Parker has a fragile chin, and he’s an old 33 with a lot of mileage on him. That’s why he’s become a runner. He can’t handle the younger, stronger heavyweights now at his age.
The Big Payoff
“I’ve seen pictures of him in the airport. His face is big, his belly [is big]. What I’m thinking is, ‘Why would you do that? The money out here that you’re getting paid isn’t all that. Is it really worth it?” said Johnny Nelson to Secondsout about whether Martin Bakole is making a mistake by coming into the fight tonight without the benefit of a training camp.
“So, he’s thinking, ‘I don’t care, because it’s a little reward now because the winning is a lot bigger.’ He turns Parker over. He really believes, ‘If I do you regular in sparring like I know I can do you and I’m only 60% of myself, I can get rid of you.’ I do not understand why he would forfeit such an opportunity for what’s coming up for him in the future for this.”
Joe Joyce could walk Joseph Parker down and knock him out in 11 rounds in 2022. His hand and foot speed are less than what Bakole can do, even at 310 lbs. If he could do that to Parker, you got to bet that Bakole will do the same tonight.
“I don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense. No one has made him do it. He said, ‘Give me that fight. Let me have it. Just imagine if he did turn him over. Just imagine if he did do it. Talk about a Buster Douglas shock. That’s a big, big shock,” said Nelson.
There’s too much to gain for Bakole not to take this fight. Not only will he pocket a reported $600,000, but he’ll increase his popularity because of the many boxing fans that will be watching the event. Moreover, the last thing Bakole would want to do is turn down an offer from Turki Alalshikh when he asks for him to step in as the replacement.
Last Updated on 02/22/2025