MARTIN Bakole finds himself in a typically tenacious mood as he boards an 11-hour flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old received a phone call yesterday, seeing if he was keen to face Joseph Parker, to which he immediately responded with an emphatic YES.
Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), was supposed to take on Daniel Dubois tomorrow evening until the IBF world heavyweight champion pulled out due to an illness.
Instead, the New Zealander will now put his WBO interim strap on the line against Bakole, 21-1 (16 KOs), with both fighters having been afforded just three days’ notice.
While Parker is coming off a full training camp, quite how the late change of opponent will affect his performance in the ring is perhaps the golden question.
Bakole, on the other hand, was seemingly enjoying a restful time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before yesterday’s rapid turn of events unfolded.
He was, after all, gearing up for an IBF final eliminator against Efe Ajagba in May, remaining far removed from the business end of his training camp.
Yet still, Bakole, who typically trains in Airdrie, Scotland, with head coach Billy Nelson, has now caught a long-haul flight from his homeland to the Middle East.
The ferocious puncher comes off a stunning fifth-round finish over Jared Anderson last August, establishing himself as one of the heavyweight division’s most formidable contenders.
Parker, meanwhile, outpointed hard-hitting southpaw Zhilei Zhang last March, and has more recently been preparing for a vastly different challenge.
But either way, Bakole remains convinced that he has the 33-year-old’s number, sending him a ruthless message on social media earlier today.
“It looks like I’m dreaming, [but] I’m not dreaming,” Bakole said in a short video he posted on Instagram.
“I think I’ll shock the world tomorrow. A boxer is like a soldier – any time they ask you to go to war, always be ready.”
