Ben Shalom, head of the Boxxer promotional company representing Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole, has shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight against New Zealander Joseph Parker.
On February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bakole and Parker will compete for the interim WBO world championship title. Parker's original opponent was IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, but he was hospitalized with a viral infection just days before the fight.
This is the most ridiculous deal I’ve ever done. You people know we like to do things, you know, take our time. So I text [Alalshikh], I say ‘we’re in, we want this fight.’ It’s unbelievable and Martin deserves a huge amount of credit because no other heavyweight on planet Earth that would operate like this, two days knowing he has Joseph Parker. Unbelieveable.
Joseph Parker last fought in March 2024, winning against Zhang Zhilei by a majority decision. His record includes 35 victories (23 by knockout) and three losses.
Martin Bakole fought last in August 2024, where he achieved a knockout victory against Jared Anderson in the fifth round. He boasts a record of 21 wins (16 by knockout) and one loss.
