Boxing
Who Is Martin Bakole? Meet The “Most-Avoided Heavyweight” Replacing Daniel Dubois To Fight Joseph Parker
Kieran Lynch is a sports writer specialising in football and Formula One. He is a sports journalism graduate of Leeds Trinity University and completed a Press Association NCTJ course in Newcastle. He previously worked as a news reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk and spent five years as a sports writer at the MailOnline.
Get to know Kieran Lynch betterPublished21 Feb 2025
Many boxing fans have been left wondering who is Martin Bakole after the 33-year-old heavyweight was named as Daniel Dubois’ replacement to fight Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Promoters were left scrambling to find a replacement for Dubois after he fell sick days before the fight on Saturday.
Late on Thursday night, it was confirmed a new fight was confirmed with Bakole filling in for Dubois.
Here is everything you need to know about the man who will look to upset Parker on Saturday night.
Who Is Martin Bakole?
Martin Bakole is a Congolese heavyweight boxing star and is the younger brother of former cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu.
He trains in Glasgow, Scotland with coach Billy Nelson. His coach was working on a deal for his fighter to take on Parker during the press conference for Saturday’s card on Thursday.
The 33-year-old was in the Democratic Republic of Congo when the call came in. TalkSPORT have reported that Bakole has had to cover 3,800 miles in three flights so he can step in on last-minute notice.
Bakole is a dangerous opponent for Parker who has been on the rise in the boxing ranks over recent years. He is a menacing fighter who possesses knockout ability and is considered as one of the most avoided fighters in the heavyweight division.
His last fight was a knockout victory over Jared Anderson in Los Angeles last August.
He stands at 6 ft 5ins and weighed in at 284 lbs when he defeated Anderson last August. However, the Daily Mail have stated that he could tip the scales at over 300 lbs on Saturday night.
Martin Bakole stopping Jared Anderson in Round 5 in August last year pic.twitter.com/jfIDBtaVhF
— Tokkerū (@ATokkers5) February 20, 2025
What Is Martin Bakole’s Record?
Martin Bakole has an impressive professional record of 21 wins with 16 by knockout – with just one defeat.
His only defeat came at the hands of American Michael Hunter in October 2018. Since then he has won ten fights on the bounce.
What Has Been Said About Bakole?
Joseph Parker was excited to hear that he would be fighting Martin Bakole this weekend.
Speaking of the fight he said: “We are fighting Martin Bakole who has been waiting for a big fight. Hopefully we can revisit this fight [with Dubois] down the line because I want to be champion of the world.
“Bakole is the most avoided heavyweight but I love to challenge myself. Myself, Andy [Lee] and Spencer we sat down with Turki [Alalshikh] and we welcomed anybody and we got Martin Bakole which is great.”
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn insisted he was ‘surprised’ but itted that it could be a better fight than Parker vs Daniel Dubois.
“I wasn’t expecting Parker to fight Bakole. It might be a better fight than Dubois-Parker.
“One of Bakole’s weakest points is his fitness. So, you’d have to think sitting in the Congo, he’s not 110 per cent, but he believes he can win. Good luck to him. Good luck to Joe. The show continues.”
Meanwhile, former British star Tony Bellew warned Parker about the danger that Bakole poses.
He said: “Martin Bakole is a good fighter. I wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole if I was in the heavyweight division.
“He’s a problem. At that kind of size, with that kind of power, he’ll be quicker than most of the heavyweights around because he’s been used to dealing with cruiserweights for so long.”