Martin Bakole

Last updated
Martin Bakole
Born
Martin Bakole Ilunga

(1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 31)
Kananga, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) [1]
Nationality Congolese
Other namesMartin Makabu Bakole
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height6 ft 6 in (198 cm) [2]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record [3]
Total fights22
Wins21
Wins by KO16
Losses1

Martin Bakole Ilunga (born 1 June 1993 [4] ) is a Congolese professional boxer. He is the younger brother of former cruiserweight boxing world champion, Ilunga Makabu. [5]

Contents

Professional career

Bakole made his professional debut on 25 March 2014, scoring a second-round technical knockout (TKO) victory over Cecil Smith at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. [6]

After compiling a record of 9–0 (6 KO), he faced undefeated Ali Baghouz (10–0–1) on 11 November 2017 at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, with the vacant IBO Continental heavyweight title on the line. [7] Bakole captured the vacant title via first-round knockout (KO). He successfully defended the title in his next fight with a first-round TKO against DL Jones (8–1–1) on 23 June 2018 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow. [8]

He next fought former Olympian and cruiserweight world title challenger Michael Hunter (14–1) for the vacant IBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title on 13 October 2018 at the York Hall, London. Bakole lost the fight via tenth-round TKO. The first few rounds were evenly contested with Bakole walking his American opponent down while Hunter remained on the back foot, utilising movement and picking his moments to throw combinations. From round four and onwards, Hunter began to make an impression with his ring movement and speedy combinations. Towards the end of the seventh, Bakole landed a powerful right hand that stunned Hunter, causing the former cruiserweight to hold in the clinch. Hunter, now looking fatigued and suffering a cut to the right eye, had his mouth piece knocked out in the eighth by a clean right hand. After injuring his right shoulder in the eighth, Bakole was reluctant to throw the right hand in the ninth, instead choosing to work behind the jab. The end came in the tenth and final round; with Hunter landing powerful shots with more frequency, a left hook sent Bakole stumbling – not for the first time during the round – towards the corner. After a barrage of unanswered punches, referee Phil Edwards waved off the fight with 41 seconds of the round remaining, handing Bakole the first defeat of his professional career. [9] [10]

Following his loss to Hunter, Bakole fought former heavyweight world title challenger Mariusz Wach (33–4) on 6 April 2019 at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, with the vacant Republic of Poland International heavyweight title up for grabs. Bakole won the fight via eighth-round TKO in a scheduled ten-round bout. The first-round saw Wach boxing in a defensive manner, staying at range behind the jab and looking to counter-punch. The next few rounds saw Bakole take the lead. Throwing heavy combination punches to the head of his Polish opponent. Towards the end of the fifth, Bakole landed several punches to his opponent's head, leaving Wach on unsteady legs as he walked back to his corner. Wach attempted to rally back in the sixth-round, having success as Bakole's pace slowed. Bakole came back in the seventh to repeat his performance of previous rounds, putting together combinations and landing punches to the head of Wach. The end came in the eighth when referee Robert Gortat waved off the fight after Wach was on the receiving end of a flurry of twelve unanswered punches. [11] [12]

Following a first-round TKO win over Ytalo Perea (11–4–2) in August, [13] Bakole was scheduled to face Gabriel Enguema on 19 October 2019 at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle. Days before the fight, Enguema withdrew from the bout due to an injury. Former world title challenger Kevin Johnson (34–15–1) stepped in at short notice. [14] In what was a one-sided affair, Bakole won by fifth-round TKO in a scheduled eight-round bout after referee Ron Kearney waved off the fight following Johnson being on the receiving end of several unanswered punches, handing the durable veteran boxer the third stoppage defeat of his career. [15] [16]

In January 2024, In the latest ranking published by the WBA, the World Boxing Association, Martin Bakole appears at the rank of world number one heavyweight..

Bakole was scheduled to face Jared Anderson at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on August 3, 2024. [17] Bakole won the fight by TKO in the fifth round. [18]

Professional boxing record

22 fights21 wins1 loss
By knockout161
By decision50
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
22Win21–1 Jared Anderson KO5 (10) 2:073 Aug 2024 BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Won WBO International and vacant WBO-NABO heavyweight titles
21Win20–1 Carlos Takam TKO4 (10), 2:15 28 Oct 2023 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
20Win19–1Ihor ShevadzutskyiTKO3 (10), 0:4522 Apr 2023G2A Arena, Rzeszów, Poland
19Win18–1 Tony Yoka MD1014 May 2022 Accor Arena, Paris, France
18Win17–1Haruna OsumanuKO1 (10), 2:5018 Sep 2021 Dubai Sports City, Dubai, UAE
17Win16–1 Sergey Kuzmin UD10 12 Dec 2020 The SSE Arena, London, EnglandWon vacant WBC International heavyweight title
16Win15–1Rodney HernandezTKO2 (10), 2:502 Nov 2019 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
15Win14–1 Kevin Johnson TKO5 (8), 0:5819 Oct 2019 Utilita Arena, Newcastle, England
14Win13–1Ytalo PereaTKO1 (8), 1:202 Aug 2019 Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Liverpool, England
13Win12–1 Mariusz Wach TKO8 (10), 2:266 Apr 2019 Spodek, Katowice, PolandWon vacant Republic of Poland International heavyweight title
12Loss11–1 Michael Hunter TKO10 (10), 2:1913 Oct 2018York Hall, London, EnglandFor vacant IBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title
11Win11–0DL JonesTKO1 (10), 1:0223 Jun 2018 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, ScotlandRetained IBO Continental heavyweight title
10Win10–0Ali BaghouzKO1 (10), 2:2311 Nov 2017 Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, ScotlandWon vacant IBO Continental heavyweight title
9Win9–0Kamil SokolowskiPTS67 Oct 2017 York Hall, London, England
8Win8–0Dominic AkinladeTKO1 (6), 1:5629 Jul 2017Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
7Win7–0Tomas MrazekTKO3 (6), 1:321 Oct 2016Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
6Win6–0Lukasz RusiewiczPTS412 Aug 2016Village Hotel, Ashton-under-Lyne, England
5Win5–0Patrick MadzingaTKO1 (6)12 Dec 2015Olive Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa
4Win4–0Ferenc ZsalekMD45 Dec 2014Centre Sportif Obercorn, Differdange, Luxembourg
3Win3–0Lukas FilkaKO1 (4), 2:558 Nov 2014Hall Omnisport de La Préalle, Herstal, Belgium
2Win2–0Chris MbomboTKO2 (4)23 Apr 2014Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
1Win1–0Cecil SmithTKO2 (4)25 Mar 2014Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko</span> Ukrainian boxer (born 1976)

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held the world heavyweight championship twice, including the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring magazine titles. A strategic and intelligent boxer, Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. He was known for his exceptional knockout power, using a strong jab, straight right hand and left hook, quick hand speed, great physical strength which he employed when clinching opponents, and his athletic footwork and mobility, unusual for boxers of his size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin McBride</span> Irish boxer

Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish former professional boxer who is best known for defeating Mike Tyson in 2005, in what would be the latter's final professional fight for nearly 20 years until Mike Tyson goes up against Jake Paul on November 15, 2024. As an amateur, McBride competed for Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He is married to Danielle Curran. The couple share two children, a daughter and son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomasz Adamek</span> Polish boxer

Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles from 2008 to 2009. He also held the IBO cruiserweight title in 2007, and challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2011. BoxRec ranks Adamek as the third greatest Polish boxer of all time, pound for pound. He is the first Polish boxer to win The Ring title.

Michael Hunter, Jr. is an American professional boxer who challenged for the WBO junior heavyweight title in 2017. As an amateur, he won the National Championships as a super heavyweight in 2007 and 2009, and qualified for the 2012 Olympics in the heavyweight division. He is the son of late professional boxer Mike "the Bounty" Hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Bellew</span> English boxer (born 1982)

Anthony Lewis Bellew is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2018, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles between 2010 and 2014, the European cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016. As an amateur, he is a three-time ABA heavyweight champion. He portrayed antagonist boxer Ricky Conlan in the films Creed and Creed III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artur Szpilka</span> Polish boxer

Artur Szpilka is a Polish professional boxer and mixed martial artist. He has challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2016. He holds a notable win over former two-weight world champion Tomasz Adamek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariusz Wach</span> Polish boxer

Mariusz Wach is a Polish professional boxer. He challenged once for the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles against Wladimir Klitschko in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Yoka</span> French boxer (born 1992)

Anthony Victor James Yoka is a French professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2015 European Games; and gold at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics.

Krzysztof Głowacki is a Polish professional boxer who has held the WBO junior-heavyweight title twice; from 2015 to 2016 and again in 2019. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 2008 EU Championships.

Jarrell Miller is an American professional boxer and former kickboxer who competes in the heavyweight division. He first came to prominence in 2007 when he competed for the New Jersey Tigers in the World Combat League and made it to the finals of the New York Golden Gloves tournament that same year. Miller was due to challenge Anthony Joshua for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles in 2019, but was denied a license to box after failing multiple drug tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mairis Briedis</span> Latvian boxer (died 2024)

Mairis Briedis is a Latvian professional boxer. He is a three-time cruiserweight world champion, having held the IBF and Ring titles from 2020 to 2022; the WBC title from 2017 to 2018; and the WBO title in 2019. Upon winning the WBC title in 2017, he became the first Latvian to hold a world boxing title. He was awarded the Order of the Three Stars in 2017. As a professional, he has fought world champions Oleksandr Usyk, Marco Huck, Krzysztof Głowacki, Manuel Charr, and Yuniel Dorticos. As of November 2022, he is ranked as the world's third best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine, BoxRec, and second by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

Junior Ilunga Makabu is a Congolese-South African professional boxer. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2020 to 2023.

Kevin Lerena is a South African professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim bridgerweight title since 2023. Previously, he held the IBO cruiserweight title from 2017 to 2021 and challenged for the WBA (Regular) heavyweight title in 2022. As of September 2021, he is ranked as the world's fifth best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine, fourth by Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and eight by BoxRec.

Robbie Barrett is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2012 to 2018. He held the British lightweight title in 2017.

Arslanbek Ruslanovich Makhmudov is a Russian professional boxer who held the WBC-NABF heavyweight title between 2019 and 2023.

Michał Cieślak is a Polish professional boxer. He has challenged for the WBC cruiserweight title in 2020 and the WBO cruiserweight title in February 2022. As of June 2020, he is ranked as the world's eighth best active cruiserweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, ninth by BoxRec and tenth by The Ring.

Wadi Camacho is a Spanish-born British former professional boxer who competed from 2012 to 2019. He held the Commonwealth cruiserweight title from 2018 to 2019 and challenged for the British cruiserweight title in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Ngabu</span> Belgian boxer

Yves Ngabu is a Belgian professional boxer who is the current IBO World Cruiserweight champion after his win over Australian boxer Floyd Masson in september 2023. He also held the European cruiserweight title from 2017 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders</span> Boxing match

Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders, billed as Let the Next Era Begin, was a professional boxing match contested on 24 April 2004 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.

Junior Anthony Wright Jr. is an American professional boxer who challenged for the WBA cruiserweight title in 2016. As an amateur, he was a three-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion and also fought in the National Golden Gloves tournament.

References

  1. ↑ "Coming to Airdrie: Martin Bakole interview". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  2. ↑ "New Faces: Martin Bakole". The Ring. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  3. ↑ "Boxing record for Martin Bakole". BoxRec .
  4. ↑ Netherton, Alexander (10 May 2022). "Tony Yoka vs Martin Bakole: Date, fight time, TV channel and live stream | DAZN News Global". DAZN . Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Dooley, Terence (31 July 2017). "Martin Ilunga Targets Tony Bellew: I Want To Avenge My Brother!". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "BoxRec: Martin Bakole vs. Cecil Smith". boxrec.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "BoxRec: Martin Bakole vs. Ali Baghouz". boxrec.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "BoxRec: Martin Bakole vs. DL Jones". boxrec.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Williamson, Chris (13 October 2018). "Michael Hunter With a Dramatic Knockout of Martin Bakole". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Gray, Tom (13 October 2018). "Michael Hunter stops Martin Bakole in the closing seconds of heavyweight slugfest". The Ring. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  11. ↑ Furman, Luke (6 April 2019). "Martin Bakole Batters, Stops Mariusz Wach in The Eight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Martin Bakole Ilunga stops Mariusz Wach - RESULTS ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "BoxRec: Martin Bakole vs. Ytalo Perea". boxrec.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ritson vs Davies Jr: Kevin Johnson comes in to face Martin Bakole". Sky Sports. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  15. ↑ Foster, Elliot (19 October 2019). "Ritson-Davies LIVE Results - Martin Bakole Stops Kevin Johnson". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Damerell, Richard (19 October 2019). "Davies Jr vs Ritson: Martin Bakole stops Kevin Johnson in the fifth round in Newcastle". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  17. ↑ Iskenderov, Parviz (6 June 2024). "Jared Anderson vs Martin Bakole joins Crawford-Madrimov card, Eminem to perform". FIGHTMAG.
  18. ↑ Iskenderov, Parviz (4 August 2024). "Martin Bakole drops Jared Anderson three times, stops in fifth round". FIGHTMAG.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.