When Anthony Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, were discussing the prospect of one day hosting an event in Nigeria, the home of Joshua’s parents, they would have had certain images in mind. If a “homecoming” or celebration, the event would have called for a certain kind of fight and a certain kind of opponent. The traffic, in other words, would have to have been one-way; the winner standing in the home corner. 

A heavyweight like Martin Bakole, for instance, would not have been welcome. He would not have been welcome a few years ago, when the idea was first mooted, and he would be even less welcome now, with Bakole not only a feared contender but someone plenty would favor to beat Joshua should their paths cross. 

Still, that doesn’t mean Bakole has called off his pursuit of Joshua. In fact, only today (January 6) he released a video on social media in which he stated in no uncertain terms his plan for 2025: knock out Efe Ajagba in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator and then do the same to Joshua. 

“I want to knock you out,” Bakole said. “I heard you talking shit saying Ajagba was going to beat me. Shame on you. How many times did I call you out? How many times did I ask to fight in Africa? You should be ashamed of yourself. I want to fight you. I want to knock you out. 

“Look at Daniel Dubois. I broke his nose twice. He knocked you out cold. I will knock you out in the first round. You’re talking about Ajagba; Ajagba is a baby. Wait until you see how I am going to knock him out. I want you to be there. You’re talking shit. I want to fight you. Stop talking nonsense. Now you say you’re in Nigeria and are not British anymore. I will knock you out. I’m the African champ. I’m an African warrior. After knocking Ajagba out, I will knock you out as well.”

Ajagba, 20-1 (14), was of course born in Nigeria – in Ughelli to be exact – but has since moved to America and it is there he is now based. His only defeat as a pro came against Frank Sanchez, the Cuban, in 2021, though it is true that many will back Bakole to add a second loss to the Ajagba record when it comes time for them to fight. 

Bakole, after all, is on quite the hot streak, having won 10 fights on the spin since suffering his first and only loss against Michael Hunter in 2018. Seemingly improved every time he fights, Bakole, 21-1 (16), was last seen breaking down Jared Anderson inside five rounds in August, which, as a performance, helped to explain why so many heavyweights have given him a wide berth in recent years. 

Rather than a one-off, Bakole’s drubbing of Anderson followed other impressive wins against men favored to beat him. These include wins against the likes of Tony Yoka, whom Bakole humbled in France, Ihor Shevadzutskyi, whom Bakole stopped in Poland, and Carlos Takam, who was chopped up inside three rounds in Saudi Arabia. Content to travel, and comfortable in the away corner, Bakole is a man whose single-minded determination is embraced by matchmakers and yet unsettling to those who happen to be standing across the ring from him in the home corner. 

For Joshua, someone whose mental fortitude was tested like never before last year, there can be no worse opponent than Martin Bakole right now, whether in Nigeria or anywhere else. It was, after all, only in September that Joshua was dropped four times and knocked out by Daniel Dubois and Bakole, although different, shares similarities with Dubois in terms of how he goes about getting the job done. Not only that, the 33-year-old from The Democratic Republic of Congo cares littles about reputation and has never let up in his goading of Joshua, which in itself is rather telling. As Bakole himself said, this is a fight for which he has campaigned for many years. It is perhaps for that reason it will never happen.