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How good is Martin Bakole?

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Martin Bakole broke American hearts when he crushed Jared Anderson in five rounds on August 3. The Congolese heavyweight finally got his chance to fight a highly ranked opponent and he put in a great performance.

The spectacle not only caught the attention of the rest of the division, but also made fans question whether all the stories about sparring involving Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois were true.

Professional boxing is full of smoke and mirrors. It’s a sport driven by perception and opinion. Before the fight, Anderson was being touted as the next American heavyweight champion of the world — someone many thought was too talented for the relatively unknown Bakole.

During the grand arrival, Anderson danced to the music as if victory was certain. However, on fight night, it didn’t take Bakole long to knock him down in the first round, giving him a rude awakening before knocking him down twice more in the fifth round to seal the knockout.

With three American judges scoring the fight, Bakole was unlikely to win on points in a close fight, but any concerns were dispelled when Anderson proved resistant to punches.

Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, has been full of praise for his fighter over the past few years. Nelson’s media interviews have been the stuff of memes—amusing but not taken seriously. But given the brilliance Bakole has shown from the ring, he’ll likely have another huge fight this season in Riyadh. And Nelson’s comments may warrant a little less skepticism.

Frenchman Tony Yoka fights Congolese Martin Bakole in a 10-round heavyweight boxing fight at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France, May 14, 2022. (Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

Still, Bakole doesn’t exactly have a high-profile win list. The 32-year-old suffered a tenth-round loss to Michael Hunter in 2018. The loss, in retrospect, slowed his career. Especially since Hunter drew with underdog Alexander Povetkin and Jerry Forrest – an opponent he defeated in just his fifth pro fight.

Bakole initially impressed by beating unbeaten Tony Yoka in France, until the former Olympian lost his next two fights. Meanwhile, a fourth-round knockout of Carlos Takam at the age of about 40 became a household name on his record, despite finishing the veteran faster than Joshua, Joseph Parker and Dereck Chisora.

No one knows the whole story, but Bakole’s recent win over Anderson and his struggle to get meaningful fights could be a sign of his uniqueness in the heavyweight division. The “who needs him” club is rampant in boxing, especially when you’re someone like Bakole, who, on the surface, has the potential to give any of the elite heavyweights a tough night, but lacks the chops to be considered worth the risk.

He’s a huge man, weighing in at over 275 pounds in his last five fights, and he has solid work rate, punch selection, strength, and a robust jaw. You probably don’t have to have a sparring session with Bakole to know that he’s not effortless to beat.

Bakole is ranked number one by the WBA and number six by the WBC. Therefore, if the powerful heavyweight is to get a shot at a world title, it could be against the winner of the Fury-Usyk rematch scheduled for December. A fight with either fighter would show where Bakole stands in the heavyweight landscape.

Regardless, with Turki Alalshikh pulling the strings and continuing to put out phenomenal boxing cards, Bakole’s days as an outsider may be coming to an end. In retrospect, it’s surprising that a 24-year-old prospect like Anderson would decide to share the ring with a monster like Bakole. But boxing is a business, and “The Real Large Baby” must have had quite a few financial incentives.

Three years ago, someone like Bakole would have struggled to get in. But with Turki, the stakes are astronomical, and that could be enough to tempt another highly ranked heavyweight to box Bakole. That includes those who have already appeared in Riyadh this season, such as Agit Kabayel, Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker, who are unlikely to fight for a title anytime soon but could make for huge fights on a huge card.

Overall, Bakole has yet to prove himself as one of the elite heavyweights. However, his win over Anderson could be the catalyst his career needed.

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Boxing

BrianNorman Jr. prepares his father for a shocking comeback after 14 years

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Norman vs Hackett

Undefeated twenty-four-year-old welterweight world champion Brian Norman Jr. he has been coached by his father, Brian Norman Sr., since he was seven years elderly. They changed course and Junior is now training Senior for his February 15 boxing match against Greg Hackett in Atlanta, Georgia.

The long-running feud between Brian Sr. and Hackett came to a head in November when the two participated on Coach Malachi’s Tru Media podcast. Things got heated when Norman told Hackett, “As an opponent, you were getting $400 to basically lose. You lose for a living.

Shortly thereafter, it was decided that they would lace them up and settle them in the ring. The event will be broadcast live on BLK Prime PPV.

Norman (17-11, 5 KO) from Atlanta and Greg Hackett (3-23) from Philadelphia will decide the result in a six-round lightweight heavyweight fight.

“I’m trained by a world champion who I trained to become that world champion,” Brian Sr. said. “He has the knowledge that I gave him. Now he can see this vision of what he is telling me, which is the same thing I was telling him. At the same time, he can visualize himself through me, observing how I respond to instructions. Ultimately, he helps himself as much, if not more, than he helps me.”

So, Junior, you’re getting him back after everything Dad’s been through all these years?

“Has it been a wonderful journey so far,” Brian Norman Jr. said. “I see a lot of similarities between me and him, mainly the drive for self-determination and the desire. It was a wonderful experience to witness. There were a few times when Dad got tired and wanted to stop and I shouted “no, two more rounds.” I have to push him, you know? We don’t like to lose – we’re both very competitive and I see that in him all day long.

“I like the way this fight turned out and it’s good for boxing,” Hackett said. “There’s no animosity here, but I’m going to hate him for eighteen minutes of our fight. There are many people who say they don’t want to go there, but we will go there. I’ve been training since the day it happened. It’s going to be a good fight. I think he’ll push it because he’s a bigger guy, but skill-wise I’m the better player. I just have to be prepared for whatever he brings to the table and make him pay for his mistakes. I will win this fight, whether by knockout or decision. I will win this fight.”

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Deontay Wilder: Warning against throwing in the towel on the fat suit myth

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Deontay Wilder is preparing to return to boxing this year and will face an opponent who has lost eleven times in Curtis Harper.

Wilder is on a losing streak, winning just once in his last five fights. The first of these four defeats remains a huge bone of contention. Wilder exploded with emotion after a one-sided rematch in February 2020 at the MGM Grand.

The “Brown Bomber” blamed everyone but himself for what happened when Fury beat him and put him through seven painful rounds. WBN witnessed the fight in the smoke-filled Garden Arena. Despite the sight, it was clear that Fury was the much better fighter that night.

Fury brought Steward SugarHill into his corner to make him more aggressive. The tactic paid off brilliantly as he regained the world heavyweight title. However, this was not what became the story of the event. Unfortunately, Deontay Wilder took that away from the “Gypsy King” with his post-fight accusations.

Wilder’s main target under his deal was Mark Breland. His longtime coach threw in the towel when the Tuscaloosa player came under massive fire and stared at his feet. But that’s not where Breland went wrong. Wilder’s problem was that the 1984 Olympic gold medalist ignored his previous instructions and never used a towel to end one of his fights.

That’s why Wilder was so irate, as he later told Brian Custer in “The Last Stand.”

“I have been preaching for five years. Never give up on Deontay Wilder,” said the former WBC champion.

The 36-year-old believed he could detonate on Fury at any time due to his one-punch KO skills.

“Deontay Wilder is never out until this is all over, because of my heart, my will and the strength I have. And yes, I really feel like he was part of it and it’s not my place to explain that to anyone. I said my peace and let out my emotions. I said it. People can believe what they want.”

Another story that got out of hand was the massive suit excuse. Wilder pointed out that he only mentioned something behind the scenes and someone in the media blew it up.

“They actually overheard something in the locker room,” Wilder explained. “I’m not justifying the costume. The costume was a bit massive. But it wasn’t enough to make me feel the way I felt in the ring. It wasn’t enough that I had no legs.

Strangely, however, Wilder blamed this part on someone who potentially gave him a demanding time. He will strive to ensure that the decision never falls on Malik Scott, who replaced Breland as coach.

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Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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