Martin Bakole said he saw fear in Jared Anderson’s eyes during their confrontation this week at a major event in Los Angeles ahead of their heavyweight fight on Saturday night, Aug. 3, at BMO Stadium.
(Photo credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs) saw the fear in the 24-year-old Anderson’s eyes and knew he couldn’t take it. The 6’6″ Bakole is anticipating an early fifth-round knockout against Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) and can’t wait for it.
Martin says if he doesn’t knock Anderson out, he’ll punish and beat him up in their fight on DAZN PPV. There will be a lot of fans watching this fight and it will be a great way for Bakole to introduce himself to the American audience.
Anderson’s attempt to mask his fear
“I could see he was scared. He couldn’t take me on Saturday night. I could see he was scared,” Martin Bakole said to Title Sports Network asked what he saw in Jared Anderson’s eyes during their confrontation Tuesday at the Arrivals Gala in Los Angeles.
Anderson did a good job of masking his fear with laughter and clowning around while on stage with Bakole on Tuesday. It looked like Anderson was acting, trying to hide his anxiety because he knows he has a guy in front of him who could ruin his career on Saturday night.
If Anderson loses to Bakole, all the money he was hoping to make fighting Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will disappear.
“His eyes say it all. I’m ready to take whatever he brings on Saturday,” Bakole continued of Anderson. “By knockout. If he has a substantial heart, he’ll survive, and I’ll punish him on points.”
Jared looked a little nervous when he was on stage with Bakole. It was as if he realized what he was facing after five years as a professional. Top Rank has matched Anderson with less competition and is clearly hesitant to put him with someone who could destroy his development.
Some fans believe that Turki Alalshikh chose Martin Bakole as Jared’s opponent on this card. If it was up to Top Rank, he would probably continue to fight guys like Jerry Forrest, Andriy Rudenko and Jeremiah Karpency.
“I think early. Before four or five. I’ve been training difficult in the gym and I’m ready. This fight means a lot to me because I have to sell myself in America,” Bakole said.
If Bakole knocks out Anderson in this fight, it would be a huge blow to Top Rank, as they have put a lot of work into protecting him all these years, shielding him from the tough life of competing against the best fighters in the top division.
However, promoters can only protect their fighters for so long before they have to go into the general population and see how long they can handle it. Ideally, Top Rank would have tested Anderson years ago to see if he was worth keeping, as they could have saved themselves the trouble of isolating him.
“In the UK, everyone knows Martin Bakole, but now, in America, I want to have American fans because it’s a substantial boxing world. I call everyone. They always avoid me, but I’m ready for anyone,” Bakole said.
UK fans aren’t as familiar with Bakole as he hasn’t fought anyone talented and after Saturday’s match we still may not know much about him. Anderson isn’t good enough to know if Bakole has talent.
Jared Anderson: Hype job?
“Jared Anderson, everyone talks about him and raves about him. Top Rank has done a good job building him up, putting him in the ring with guys he can beat,” Teddy Atlas said on his YouTube channel. “He hasn’t been tested.
Atlas doesn’t say who these people are who are “hyping” Jared Anderson because if he had his ears to the ground he would already know that fans see him as a hype job. After watching him fight Charles Martin and Ryad Merhye, fans learned everything they needed to know about Anderson.
“They haven’t put him in a fight with anyone who’s really risky, really competitive. I’m not saying he should be put in a fight with anyone who’s risky to the point where he loses, but instead of putting him in a fight with 90-10, 80-20, 70-30 odds, I think to develop a guy, you have to put him in a fight with 60-40 or 55-45 odds. They [Top Rank] I did not do that [for Jared Anderson]”- said Atlas.
Anderson’s protection by Top Rank
Surely Atlas should have understood why Top Rank didn’t match Jared Anderson with any live opponents. It’s pretty obvious. They saw that he was flawed and couldn’t take a punch.
You only have to watch Anderson get staggered twice by 38-year-old Charles Martin to see why Top Rank is reluctant to put him in a fight with anyone with even a modicum of talent. They know what happens when Anderson has a tough opponent, and they try to avoid that for as long as possible.
Top Rank is probably keeping Jared to either put him on the payroll against Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury or wait for those guys to retire so he can pick up the broken titles. If that’s the case in this match, I don’t think it’ll work because Anderson won’t be able to win the belts if he has to face someone halfway decent.
“For some reason, Turki Alalshikh is really interested in Jared Anderson, to the point where he put him on this card and hired a modern trainer, SugarHill Steward. He made him train him. I don’t know what Jared Anderson has. There are others in the same category,” Atlas said.
SugarHill’s hiring may not aid Anderson unless he wants to learn how to outwork and out-reach opponents. That seems to be SugarHill’s main contribution to Tyson Fury since he took over as his trainer years ago.
SugarHill is no match for Anderson, who doesn’t like to get hit and has a Shakur-esque style of boxing and avoiding pain. In order for Anderson to transform under SugarHill’s tutelage, he has to go through a volcanic mind meld and be hypnotized into an aggressive, brutal fighter he’s not physically built to be.
Again, Jared’s chin is too delicate to employ SugarHill’s Kronk Gym style of fighting, and if he tries to fight that way, he’ll get knocked out multiple times. Look at Tyson Fury. He lost his last fight and should have been beaten in his last one to Francis Ngannou, and that was with SugarHill as his trainer. He completely ruined him.
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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