JARED ANDERSON will face his toughest opponent yet when he goes up against Martin Bakole on August 3.
The 24-year-old undefeated heavyweight was originally rumored to fight former WBC champion Deontay Wilder at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, but those plans changed after Zhilei Zhang defeated ‘The Bronze Bomber’ by fifth round stoppage last Saturday.
Zhang’s win was part of a dominant 10-0 performance for Queensberry over Matchroom in Riyadh, during the 5 vs 5 event organized by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority. Alalshikh has now united various promoters for a venture into the American boxing market on August 3, where former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford will challenge Israil Madrimov for the WBA super-welterweight title.
Anderson, with a record of 17-0 (15 KOs) and promoted by Top Rank, will be facing Scottish-based Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole, who holds a record of 20-1 (15 KOs) and is also in need of a significant challenge on a big stage. The 31-year-old Bakole is considered a dark horse in the division and has weighed between 275 and 299lbs in his last three fights, which included wins over Carlos Takam and Tony Yoka.
There is likely to be a notable weight difference on fight night, with Anderson weighing in at 243, 239, and 251lbs in his last three wins against Charles Martin, Andrii Rudenko, and Ryad Merhy. Anderson is seen as a future world champion and is ranked in the top five by the WBC, WBO, and IBF, while Bakole currently holds the position of WBA number one contender.
Aside from the Crawford-Madrimov and Anderson-Bakole fights, the August 3 card is filled with talent from top to bottom. Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr will face Jarrell Miller, newly-crowned WBA super-lightweight titlist Isaac Cruz will defend his belt against Jose Valenzuela, and Cuban sensations David Morrell (light-heavyweight) and Andy Cruz (lightweight) will fight Radivoje Kalajdzic and Antonio Moran, respectively. A super-welterweight bout between Vergsl Ortiz Jr and Tim Tszyu had to be canceled due to Tszyu’s unhealed cuts from his previous fight. It is uncertain if Ortiz Jr will still be featured on the card.