IBF Strips Bakole of Title Eliminator after Parker Knockout; Ajagba’s struggle loses importance

The second loss of Martin Bakole’s second round at Wbo heavy weight champion Joseph Parker last Saturday night has cost him his opportunity to fight on an IBF -sanctioned title eliminator against Efe Ajagba on 2 May. Although the shock of Bakole vs. Ajagba will still occur, he will not be a eliminator.

Disappeared removal

Dan Rafael says an IBF spokesman told him that Bakole is “Out of the eliminator“And they will look for the next” available contestant. “Bakole obtained a $ 600,000 payment for their struggle with Parker; some believe it could be higher. However, losing the opportunity to remove IBF title is terrible .

Martin’s possibilities to defeat Ajagba to be mandatory for IBF belt would have been high, and there would be a lot of money he could have made for a world title. Bakole is now stuck in a situation where he will have to slowly go his way back to where he was before his loss in Parker. It took eleven years to put it in a position to fight for a world title.

With Bakole-Ajagba’s struggle who was no longer an IBF eliminator, Bakole would be better to leave the contest and focus on facing a more prominent name. Even a resale with Jared Anderson would be preferable to fight Ajagba (21-1, 14 kos).

310 pounds

In the later view, Bakole (21-2, 16 kos) should not have agreed to face Parker (36-3, 24 ko) with a two-day warning without a training field. Bakole weighed at 310 pounds and was not in the physical condition of having a good chance of winning. Despite having an overweight, Bakole struck Parker in the first round, but it was too slow to finish it.

It would have been a winning struggle for Bakole if he entered the type so he was for his victory over Jared Anderson last August. He weighed 284 pounds in that contest and was more agile.

News: After Ko’d for Parker on Saturday, Martin Bakole is not eligible for the heavyweight IBF title deletion of May 2, was established for Efe Ajagba. “Bakole is out of the eliminator,” said an IBF spokesman. “We will pass to the next contestant available”. #boxing

– and Rafael (@Danrafael1) February 26, 2025