Joseph Parker stopped the feared Martin Bakole in just two rounds after his original opponent, Daniel Dubois, withdrew due to illness.
The Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 card was shrouded in drama after co-main event fighter, Daniel Dubois, withdrew only two days before the event.
Joseph Parker‘s slot on the bill was saved when Martin Bakole stepped in on less than 48 hours notice.
Bakole landed in Saudi Arabia in the early hours of the day of the fight, with no training camp and weighing in at 315 pounds. This makes Bakole one of the heaviest heavyweights ever alongside Butterbean and Nikolai Valuev.
The fight went as many would have expected, with Parker stopping Bakole in just the second round. Eddie Hearn criticized Bakole’s team for taking the fight, though Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, responded, suggesting with a full camp, Bakole would beat Parker.
One former opponent of Parker’s congratulated the New Zealand man, in a way unique to him.
Derek Chisora continues gifting tradition as he treats Joseph Parker to a post-fight meal
Derek Chisora is known for giving his opponents a meal after sharing the ring with them, and this was no different, even though Chisora was not the one to face Parker.
In an interview with Queensberry, Parker said: “He’s gonna bring us some Five Guys. We deserve a few burgers.”
Parker defeated Chisora by split decision in their first encounter, though some believe Chisora could’ve also been the rightful winner. Parker left no doubt in the rematch when he won by unanimous decision the same year.
Derek Chisora believes Joseph Parker’s win over Martin Bakole should be ‘illegal’
Despite congratulating his former foe, Chisora did not mince his words in an interview with Seconds Out, where he branded the Parker vs Bakole fight as unfair:
“You expect Bakole to get on a 24-hour flight, get here, get weighed in, medical, don’t even sleep, come to the arena, warm up, and get in the ring and fight a guy whose been training for like six months.
That’s illegal. That’s illegal. Do you understand how illegal that is? […] That’s unfair.”
When asked if Parker deserved any credit for the win Chisora said:
“He shouldn’t be happy with that fight. […] You did what you were meant to do anyway so what the f— do we have to be f——- clapping hands for?”
On Bakole he said: “The guy did not train.”
Parker and Bakole made up the co-main event of a thrilling card, topped by the main event which saw Bivol even the score against Beterbiev and set up a potential trilogy.