Although heavyweight contender Martin Bakole has been ordered to face Agit Kabayel in a final eliminator for the IBF title, purse bids have been postponed until November 14 as both sides are looking to make a deal. But Bakole’s promoter, Ben Shalom, today told Sky Sports News that Bakole “is ready to face Daniel Dubois next.”
As fans know, Dubois, who impressed us all with that KO win over former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua last time out, is expected to fight again in February. As of right now, a few names are reportedly in the mix for Dubois’ next challenger, including Joseph Parker and maybe Zhilei Zhang. But now, Shalom says 32-year-old Bakole, who is currently 21-1(16) and coming off a KO win over Jared Anderson, can step in and fight Dubois in February.
“Martin Bakole is ready to face Daniel Dubois,” Shalom said. “If they’re looking for an opponent for Daniel for February, Martin is ready to step in. Martin is the future of the heavyweight division. He’s now closing in on his title shot. Once he gets there, there’s no stopping him. He beats Dubois and then he can unify the division.”
This is some bold talk from Shalom, but Bakole, who his promoter says is a “different beast,” has shown us all how strong he is and how dangerous he is. It’s not clear how Kabayel and his people would feel if their fight with Bakole was off, for the time being at least – hypothetically, if Bakole were to fight Dubois next, beat him, and take his belt, Kabayel would perhaps get the first shot at the new IBF heavyweight boss. Or is Shalom perhaps suggesting Bakole could fight Kabayel, maybe this year, and then, after winning, move on and fight Dubois in a quick turnaround?
In any case, what a bombs-away battle Dubois Vs. Bakole would surely be. Who wins this battle of big guys, both of them being big punchers?
The clock is ticking on Dubois’ next fight, and Frank Warren did say a few days ago how he hoped to have something nailed down soon. But is Bakole too dangerous a proposition for Dubois at this stage?
Also, is Shalom right when he says his fighter is “the future of the heavyweight division?” There are a few other fighters out there who would contest such a statement, Dubois being one of them.
