It just takes Anthony Joshua one more fight to become the world heavyweight champion three times. Following his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in the unification bout and subsequent loss in the rematch, Joshua has now teamed up with trainer Ben Davison and is performing admirably, decisively stopping both Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
On September 21, he will now take on Daniel Dubois, the recently promoted IBF Champion. If he wins, he will be ready to take on the victor of Tyson Fury and Usyk’s rematch, but if he prefers to stay active, there are a lot more elite opponents in the wings. One such fighter is Martin Bakole, who has been billed as the division’s danger man for a long time but hasn’t really made an impression on the big stage until recently.
That all changed in five rounds when he decisively defeated American Jared Anderson, who was widely predicted to become the next world champion. That evening in Los Angeles, Bakole won over the American audience and won over the hearts of UK supporters with more than just his remarkable sparring tales of dropping andbringing down the top heavyweights. He has challenged “AJ” to a bout in Africa, a la Ali and Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle, saying that he now only deserves major matches. Bakole recently explained to BOXXER how it would proceed, should it happen, after earlier claiming to have gravely injured the British man in the gym while things were private.
Anthony Joshua—either in round four or five—by knockout I’m coming to destroy them this year. Put an end to them or penalize them. While there is undoubtedly excitement for the bout and for Bakole to face any of the major names, “AJ” is fully focused on Dubois and, should he succeed in exacting revenge for his defeat by Usyk, Tyson Fury. In the meantime, Bakole might succeed in his battle in Africa. Turki Alalshikh, a heavyweight in the Riyadh Season, has indicated interest in playing with Zhilei Zhang, another heavyweight, either in China or there.