Eddie Hearn says Martin Bakole is using Anthony Joshua’s name for “Clout,” riding “the coattails.” Bakole doesn’t sound like he’s just name-dropping AJ’s name. He appears to really want to fight him, but interestingly, Hearn is calling it clout-chasing.
The highly ranked heavyweight contender Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) has been calling out the former two-time champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), saying he wants to fight him in Africa in a Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman kind of clash.
Hearn says he doesn’t “rule out” Joshua fighting Bakole at some point. However, he doesn’t say when, and obviously, if AJ keeps getting beaten every time he’s matched against a good opponent, the chances of him taking on a dangerous fighter like Bakole are nonexistent.
Hearn’s Dismissal
AJ can make good money fighting tomato cans like he was doing during the four-fight rebuild that Hearn gave him after his meltdown in his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in 2023.
“Apparently, I was there. Bakole hit him with a left hook, wobbled AJ, and I had my jaw open,” said Eddie Hearn to the media about the sparring story of what went down between Anthony Joshua and Martin Bakole when they sparred. “I don’t even remember watching it.
“I think maybe once, I walked it and saw them two for 20 or 30 seconds. I never seen Bakole hit AJ with a big shot. I don’t remember how long I watched it for. By the way, they had tremendous spars.
“Bakole is a good fighter, but he’s doing what I would do if I were Bakole. I would attach my name to AJ. I would ride the coattails and get as much clout as I could off AJ’s name. That’s what Bakole is doing, and I don’t rule the fight out.”
It’s interesting how Hearn dismisses Bakole’s interest in AJ as him just clout-chasing because I don’t read it that way. I think he seriously wants to fight Joshua because it’s a fight that pays well, and he knows he can win. At this point, I don’t think anyone believes Joshua can beat the Bakole because he’s in the zenith of his career, coming off a knockout of Jared Anderson.
“In the past, AJ shouldn’t have had a rematch with Ruiz right away. AJ shouldn’t have fought Usyk the first time. AJ shouldn’t fight Usyk the second time. AJ shouldn’t fight Dubois again, and he will,” said Hearn.
“He doesn’t care who he fights. He wants to fight the best, and he loves the Bakole fight. We won’t rule it out. If Wilder gets a win, we don’t rule that out either. AJ will fight anyone,” said Hearn.
