Martin Bakole has admitted the ordeal he endured to face Joseph Parker took a toll on him moments before stepping in the ring on Saturday.
Bakole accepted the fight against Parker on just 48 hours’ notice, after Daniel Dubois withdrew through illness and suffered a devastating second round loss.
The 31-year-old had returned home to Congo to visit family and not been in training camp when he agreed to face the New Zealander.
Bakole took two flights and landed in Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday morning and claims he fell asleep in the dressing room before the fight.
“I was sleeping in the changing room,” he told Seconds Out.
“I fell asleep.
“My coach woke me up and said, ‘hey, come on, we know this is a big sacrifice.
“I have a family, I have to look after my kids.
“I’m doing this for a living.
“I had an opportunity to get something for my family so I jumped at it.”
– Took the fight on 48 hours’ notice
– Had no training camp
– Arrived at 3am this morningMartin Bakole deserves a huge amount of respect 🫡#ParkerBakole pic.twitter.com/I7NK4OyCBh
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) February 22, 2025
Bakole was decked by a huge right hand and despite beating the referee’s count, his trainer Billy Nelson compassionately pulled him out.
However, Bakole believes he could have continued and seen out the round.
“I was surprised my coach stopped the fight,” he added.
“I was not happy with that, because by the time Parker walked to me, I was going to recover.
“I would have tried to hold him.
“There was only 14 seconds left, I was going to recover and come back again, but he’s a coach he decided to say ‘no, we haven’t been in camp for even one or two weeks, I need to save you, we have a big fight coming.’”
Bakole was scheduled to face Efe Ajagba on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero on May 2 and despite a brutal defeat to Parker, he is still set to face the Nigerian native.
