I’ll Knock Out Anthony Joshua In Front Of His Nigerian Fans – Bakole Boasts

Congolese heavyweight boxer, Martin Bakole, has issued a bold challenge to Anthony Joshua, vowing to knock out the British-Nigerian star if the two meet in the ring, even if the fight is staged in front of Joshua’s home crowd in Nigeria.

Bakole, who once served as Joshua’s sparring partner, made the declaration while speaking to Sky Sports, insisting that he’s ready for what he called a historic “Rumble in the Jungle II.”

“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole said.

“Anthony Joshua doesn’t want to fight me. He knows what happened in sparring. If we get in the ring, I’m going to knock him out, without doubt.”

The 30-year-old heavyweight added that he’s eager to recreate the iconic Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman bout held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974, but this time in Nigeria.

“I’ll even knock him out in Nigeria, in front of his own crowd. This is the fight to make. And we need to make it in Africa. It’ll be the Rumble in the Jungle II,” Bakole boasted.

Naija News reports that Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion, is reportedly being lined up for a comeback fight in Nigeria early next year, following his September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois in a world title clash at Wembley Stadium.

Promoters have begun scouting potential opponents and venues, with Bakole emerging as one of the leading candidates to face the British-Nigerian boxer in what could become one of the biggest sporting events ever hosted in Africa.

Promoter Confirms Nigeria As Top Venue

Promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu, who recently organised the successful Chaos in the Ring event in Lagos alongside former world champion Amir Khan, confirmed that Bakole is on the shortlist of potential opponents for Joshua’s return.

“He is an option. There are a lot of options being thrown at us for this particular fight, but, yes, Martin Bakole is here,” Adamu told Sky Sports News.

“We have a lot of options that we’ll be looking at, and we believe that we’ll come up with something really exciting that will excite the whole world and obviously bring proper excitement to Africa as well, especially Nigeria.”

Adamu stressed that Nigeria’s massive population of about 250 million people and its position as Africa’s largest economy make it the ideal destination for Joshua’s comeback fight.

“Nigeria is strategically placed to host an event of this scale,” he said. “The passion for boxing is strong here, and we want to bring the global spotlight to Africa once again.”

Naija News reports that Joshua’s camp had previously considered Ghana as a possible host for the comeback bout, but recent developments suggest that Nigeria is now the frontrunner to stage the highly anticipated fight.

The potential showdown, likely to be dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle II”, would mark Joshua’s first professional fight on African soil, symbolising a homecoming for the boxer who has often expressed pride in his Nigerian roots.

Source: Naijanews