The future of the heavyweight division, as predicted by many – including Tyson Fury and Bob Arum, was humbled and stopped in Los Angeles.
Jared Anderson, who was due to be the second coming of Mike Tyson with a knockout record to match, lost to Martin Bakole in five humbling sessions.
Bakole [21-1, 16 KOs] handed Anderson his first defeat. The American dropped to 17-1, 12 KOs, and saw his invincibility cloak removed as Anderson hit the canvas three times before the referee intervened.
Anderson threw everything at Bakole early on but couldn’t dent the bigger, heavier British-based puncher. Bakole countered everything Anderson had to offer, causing considerably more damage with his combinations.
An uppercut put the writing on the for Anderson before Bakole kept the pressure, and Jerry Cantu saved ‘The Real Big Baby’ for another day.
In the aftermath of his most significant victory, Bakole – who had only lost to Michael Hunter – pushed for a world heavyweight title shot.
“I came here to work. This is what I do for my people in Congo. This is what I do for Scotland,” said Bakole. I’m here to take over. I want to be the number one. No one wants to fight me, but with His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh], I can get any fight I want. This is what I planned with my coach. We saw [Anderson] lean a lot. You don’t stand with Martin Bakole. I am a big man, and I am a machine.”
He continued, “I want to thank Big Baby for accepting a fight with me. I’m the most avoided heavyweight in the world. I wish him good luck in the future. Don’t give up. Go back to the gym and work hard.”
During his post-fight interview, Anderson took his defeat on the chin. He said, “I made some of the same mistakes I’ve been making. You win some, you lose some. Hats off to him. He did his thing. I lost, so I’ll go back to the gym.”
Looking at the CompuBox stats, Bakole used his size and weight advantages well. CompuBox stated, “Bakole knocked Anderson down with an uppercut at the end of the first round in a round that Anderson seemed to be winning.
“Though Anderson landed 35 body punches, he could not deal with Bakole’s power, and Bakole knew it, throwing 195 power punches to Anderson’s 99 and landing 68 to Anderson’s 45.
“Another uppercut sent Anderson down in the fifth, and Anderson never recovered, suffering an additional knockdown before a flurry of punches forced the referee to stop the bout at 2:07 of the fifth round.”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
