Martin Bakole weighs in at a hefty 310lbs for his battle with Joseph Parker
Feb 22, 2025 • 6:53 AM ET
Martin Bakole, the late substitute for Daniel Dubois, today weighed in at 310lbs for his heavyweight 12-rounder with Joseph Parker.
The bout was hastily arranged following Dubois' withdrawal due to a viral infection that was discovered by doctors on Thursday. Parker yesterday weighed in at 267lbs, the heaviest of his career. It had been widely reported beforehand that Parker's increase in mass was by design, with the size and might of Dubois in mind.
That may be just as well considering Bakole's weight. The 33-year-old, from the Democratic Republic Of The Congo, last fought in August when he demolished the previously unbeaten Jared Anderson in five rounds last August. For that bout he tipped the scales at a little over 284lbs, which was lighter than the 299 1/2lbs he weighed when he stopped Carlos Takam in his previous bout - the heaviest he'd weighed prior to today.
Both fighters are 33 years old and Bakole is 21-1 (16 KOs) whereas Parker's stats stand at 35-3 (23 KOs).
Matt Christie, a lifelong fight fan, has worked in boxing for more than 20 years. He left Boxing News in 2024 after 14 years, nine of which were spent as editor-in-chief. Before that, he was the producer of weekly boxing show “KOTV.” Now the co-host of “The Opening Bell” podcast and regularly used in the UK as a pundit, Matt was named as the Specialist Correspondent of the Year at the prestigious Sports Journalism Awards in 2021, which was the seventh SJA Award he accepted during his stint in the hot seat at Boxing News. The following year, he was inducted into the British Boxing Hall of Fame. He is a member of the BWAA and has been honored several times in their annual writing awards.
