Martin Bakole may well be one of the most dangerous fighters in the heavyweight division at the moment, however, it seems like none of his rivals are rushing to fight him. Nevertheless, his promoter Ben Shalom has said that they will not be able to do this much longer as by next year the man from Congo will be a world champion.
Bakole is coming off an impressive stoppage victory against fellow heavyweight contender Jared Anderson.
His promoter Ben Shalom has on many occasions labelled him as the “most avoided man in the division”.
However, the 6’6 powerhouse does not possess the global name that some of his rivals do, therefore a fight with him offers more risk than it does reward.
Nevertheless, it looked like he would be facing rival Agit Kabayel in a final eliminator bout for the IBF title until the German pulled out of purse bids – which may have been due to an opportunity arising to fight champion Daniel Dubois.
As a result, it is now expected that Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang will assume Kabayel’s position in the final eliminator.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Boxxer’s Ben Shalom has revealed what he expects Zhang to do and where he expects Bakole to be in a year.
“Agit Kabayel pulled out of the purse bids. He didn’t want the fight. Zhilei Zhang has now been ordered. We expect him to turn the fight down too.”
“They can run but they can’t hide. Martin is in a great position. He will fight for the mandatory spot against whoever is willing to step up and then fight for the IBF World Title.”
“There is a reason people don’t want to fight Martin. We’ve all heard the sparring stories.”
“He is the bogeyman of the division, but his time is coming and once he becomes IBF World Champion, he can rule the division for a long time.”
“Martin Bakole will be world champion in the next 12 months,” Shalom said.”
“He has a clear route to the IBF World Title so people can’t avoid him any longer. He’s coming for Daniel Dubois.”
“It’s an exciting time for Martin. He is one fight away from boxing for the IBF World Title.”
Shalom has said that he also expects Zhang to pull out of a fight with Bakole, just like Kabayel did.
Moreover, the UK promoter said that he is going to be crowned world champion in 2025.
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