Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) crushed what some fans consider the best American heavyweight, Jared Anderson (17-1, 15 KOs), with a devastating fifth-round victory in the main event organized by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh last Saturday, August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Bakole capitalized on Anderson’s early aggression in the first round, landing a left hook, followed by a right hook. He then followed it up with a left-right combination that knocked Anderson down.
After the fight, Bakole said Anderson shouldn’t have had him in the first round because that’s what he needed to get his gigantic punches in. Bakole expected Anderson, 24, to box with him in the early going, but surprised him by wanting to trade.
Anderson’s future at Top Rank is uncertain
Bakole knocked Anderson down twice in the fifth round and finished him off with a flurry of punches.
Jared’s loss puts his career at Top Rank in question as it remains to be seen whether he will be someone the club will want to invest money and time in.
Anderson’s performance, as well as his fights with Ryad Merhy and Charles Martin, showed that he lacks the stamina, strength and courage to compete with the best heavyweights in his weight class.
If Top Rank plans to protect Jared for the next three to five years while waiting for the gigantic three, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, to retire, it won’t work.
Anderson won’t do well against guys like Bakole and Daniel Dubois. Even Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and Andy Ruiz would be a huge problem for Anderson. My advice to Top Rank is to pass on Anderson.
If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants to continue to feature Jared at his events, that is his prerogative, but he will be subject to continued defeat if he has to face someone talented.
“I proved them wrong. People will discover me every time I step into the ring and they will win. I am the most avoided lifter in this division,” said Martin Bakole BoxNationreflecting on his fifth-round knockout victory over Jared Anderson last Saturday night in Los Angeles.
“I think people see what happened yesterday and now they believe in me. He survived. I think if there were 10 seconds, I would have stopped him sooner,” Bakole said of beating Jared in the first round. He survived, and I knocked him out in five seconds.
Die-hard boxing fans believed in Bakole before, but the average person had never seen him in action. Thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Bakole was able to show what he was capable of.
Top fighters Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have shown no interest in fighting Bakole. They know how good he is and don’t want to risk getting crushed by a gigantic puncher.
You can’t blame boxers like Anthony Joshua or elderly hands like Tyson Fury for not wanting to fight Bakole because he would ruin their chance to make money.
“There was no power in it, and I have a gigantic engine. So I kept coming forward. That was my plan,” Bakole said, explaining how he was able to get through Anderson’s numerous punches. “I expected him to box me, but he made a gigantic mistake in the first round by coming forward. I said, ‘This is an basic fight for me today.'”
Anderson landed some nice body shots and combinations on Bakole. However, he didn’t have enough power with his punches to earn Bakole’s respect or ponderous him down.
In the tenth round of Bakole’s loss to Michael Hunter in October 2018, he was hampered by the former American amateur star’s combinations. Anderson couldn’t throw similar combinations because he was hurt in the first round. Anderson fought cautiously, but Bakole knocked him down.
Bakole’s call for greater challenges
“We want a gigantic fight now. It was too early for him [Anderson] because he wasn’t at my level. I deserve to be with Usyk, Tyson [Fury]Zhang, Kabayel and Joseph Parker. These are the people I belong to. I am glad that His Excellency supports me. So I think I will catch the gigantic fish that I have always been looking for,” Bakole said.
Of the names Bakole mentioned, Zhilei Zhang is the most realistic, as he won’t be fighting Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Agit Kabayel or Joseph Parker. Bakole’s performance in the Jared Anderson fight probably ruined any chance he ever had of fighting any of them, and now he’ll be permanently avoided.
“I’m talking about Parker and Kabayel. Those three names. Joseph Parker, Kabayel or the great Zhang. Those are the people I’m looking for because we’re all in the top 10,” Bakole said.
If Bakole fights Joseph Parker, he will need to focus on his foot speed as he has become a defensive fighter who moves around the ring. Parker is this generation’s version of Chris Byrd and it will be tough for Bakole to get to him and land any of his powerful punches.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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