Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has backed Martin Bakole to recover from his second-round knockout loss to Joseph Parker at Riyadh Season’s The Last Crescendo on Saturday night.
Bakole, who stepped in as a late replacement for ill IBF champion Daniel Dubois with just two days’ notice, saw his world title ambitions suffer a setback as Parker dominated their brief encounter.
The defeat has cast doubt over Bakole’s planned IBF title eliminator against Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba, which was scheduled for May in New York.
Joshua, who was part of DAZN’s broadcasting team in Riyadh, emphasised the unpredictable nature of heavyweight boxing.
The Congolese fighter had emerged as one of the division’s most feared contenders following his impressive fifth-round demolition of previously unbeaten American prospect Jared Anderson in California last August.
However, his decision to face Parker rather than wait for the Ajagba bout has proven costly, with the International Boxing Federation now uncertain about how to proceed with picking their mandatory challenger.
The loss marks a significant setback for Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs), while Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs), who has won his last five fights since suffering his lone professional defeat to Frank Sanchez in October 2021, must now wait to see how his path to a world title shot unfolds.
