Martin Bakole has become the talk of the heavyweight division after an emphatic win over Jared Anderson at the weekend. With Michael Hunter representing the lone blemish on the record of the Congolese contender, there have been calls for a rematch, although the heavyweight duo appear to have a differing opinion on whether it could happen next.
Hunter knocked Bakole out in the tenth and final round of their 2018 contest to put an end to his undefeated record but the pair have been on polarising journeys since, as Bakole battled his way into contention whilst Hunter fell to the wayside despite not losing a fight since.
On Saturday night, Scotland-based Bakole travelled stateside and pulled off yet another upset win, convincingly knocking 25-year-old Anderson out in round five and opening the door for a potential world title challenge within his next two bouts.
Speaking with Boxing Social, Michael Hunter admitted that he was not surprised by the outcome of Bakole’s scrap with Anderson, believing that the latter got his tactics wrong.
“Anderson would have lasted longer if he’d had just approached the fight in a different way. Obviously, yeah it was impressive, he did what I would expect him to do with that kind of a fight. He is the much bigger, more experienced guy.”
Following that victory, Bakole has been linked to a showdown with Zhilei Zhang on the Usyk-Fury II undercard and appeared to decline the possibilities of a rematch with his rival, although he claimed that the reason as to why it will not happen lays with Hunter.
“Not now, [I wouldn’t rematch Michael Hunter], it’s not the fight that I am looking for right now but if it happens, I am ready to face Michael Hunter, but he is not ready. We will always say yes to the fight and he will say ‘no, I am not ready’ but on social media he is always talking.”
In response, Hunter explained his opinion that Bakole and his team were attempting to avoid him’, denying any rumours of him turning down the opportunity of a rematch.
“I think that they are going to try and avoid me, he said that in the ring but shortly after I have seen them doing some interviews saying that I denied the fight or that I wasn’t ready – that is not true.
“Why would I deny the fight now, knowing that I could do that [knock him out], especially after him looking good with Anderson. It would be much sweeter for me to stop him.
“Whenever they think that they have enough confidence and that fight comes, I will be more than willing to put an end to it. I enjoyed his performance, I thought that he did well but even though he did well, I think that it would be easier for me to fight him now.”
Martin Bakole sits as the number one contender with the WBA and is ranked within the top 15 with all three other sanctioning bodies. Meanwhile, Hunter is positioned at #3 with the WBA but is not ranked elsewhere, meaning a second clash with Bakole could prove to be the perfect springboard for a world title shot of his own.
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