Joseph Parker overcame the surprise of fighting a very different opponent from the man he had been expecting to face when he knocked out Martin Bakole with devastating force in the second round of their heavyweight contest in Riyadh. The New Zealander had been scheduled to challenge Daniel Dubois for his IBF world heavyweight title but, after the champion fell ill with a virus on Thursday, Bakole flew to Saudi Arabia from the Democratic Republic of Congo as an emergency replacement.
The odds against Bakole were underlined by the fact that he had only landed in Riyadh at 3am on the morning of the fight. Less than 22 hours later, at 1.10am local time on Sunday morning, Bakole ambled calmly to the ring. He hopped over the ropes, in his tartan trunks, with admirable alacrity. Parker followed, wearing a bright red tunic and a relaxed smile despite the sudden change of adversary.
Related: Joseph Parker: ‘This will mean something different. I’m doing it for myself now’
Bakole, looking fleshy and far from in prime condition, banged his black gloves together when he was introduced. Parker raised his fists in warning before referee Steve Gray summoned them to the centre of the ring for their final instructions.
They touched gloves at the opening bell and Parker landed first with a couple of left jabs to Bakole’s corpulent body. The static substitute stayed in the centre of the ring while Parker circled and feinted. But the New Zealander showed respect for Bakole’s undoubted power as he backed away watchfully. A scything left was the first threatening punch from the African, on the bell, but he missed by a considerable margin.
Bakole, who has been based in Airdrie under experienced Scottish trainer Billy Nelson for nearly 10 years, began to rumble forward with more intent early in the second – only to be tagged by a hard right hand. Parker had his opening and he then stopped Bakole in his tracks with a crunching straight right. The punch made Bakole shake his suddenly clouded head as a dazed expression crossed his face. He fought back and cuffed Parker with a couple of punches on the inside but, as they broke, a massive overhand right ended his night.
The impact of the heavy blow against the top of his head was delayed and Bakole, staggering away in shock and confusion, went down in stages. He finally hit the blue canvas hard. Bakole was stretched out on his back, his legs in the air as Parker walked to a neutral corner.
The stricken fighter managed to sit up and then, eventually, haul himself unsteadily to his feet with the help of the ropes. But he looked out blankly at the crowd before Gray wisely waved the fight over. Nelson gently removed the gumshield from Bakole’s mouth.
Across the ring, Parker was hoisted on the shoulders of his jubilant cornermen. It was not long before the two fighters met again in the middle of the ring for a respectful embrace.
The potential threat of Bakole, who can punch extremely hard, was negated by the class, experience and raw power of Parker. The ending was brutal and Bakole’s only compensation will be the large purse he was paid to step in as a late opponent.
“When I came back to the corner,” Parker said, “[his trainer] Andy Lee gave me the instructions just to be patient. And when the overhead right comes, when he walks in and attacks, that’s when you have to take your shot. That’s the best way – to catch them when they’re coming in.”
Parker, an amiable and polite man, turned to the boxer he had just bludgeoned to such a concussive defeat. “Martin Bakole, thank you very much for accepting the challenge and flying all the way here on short notice to give me a good fight. I just went out there and listened to Andy, stayed calm, structured, composed, and got the victory.”
Parker can now look ahead to his rearranged world title bout against Dubois with still more confidence after his authoritative victory – even if he will be sharply aware that the IBF champion will provide far more imposing company than a woefully unprepared Bakole.
Earlier on the undercard of an extraordinary bill, Callum Smith outpointed Joshua Buatsi in an all-British light-heavyweight showdown full of grit and pain. Smith deservedly won a clear victory on the three scorecards but, for all the hurt he brought down on Buatsi, he was also tested during a gruelling battle.
In the sixth round, as Smith punished Buatsi, it looked as if the older man might force a stoppage. Buatsi was reeling but, dredging deep into his reserves of will, he rocked Smith as they shared a compelling round. They stayed in the trenches, sharing brutal exchanges while Smith edged ahead to lead by three rounds as they reached the final quarter. But, in the 10th, a tiring Smith was shaken and hurt to the body – only to respond with heavy artillery of his own.
Smith was marked up, cut above the right eye and swollen beneath it, and Buatsi poured on the pressure in the 11th. The Londoner was told by his corner he needed a stoppage before the final round but Smith landed the more damaging punches, sending the gumshield flying from Buatsi’s mouth. Back came Buatsi and, at the bell, they were still trading fiercely. But the decisive victory belonged to Smith.
There was a notable win for the Kurdish-German heavyweight Agit Kabayel against Zhilei Zhang, the giant Chinese veteran. From the outset Kabayel moved fluidly and landed sapping body shots. Zhang looked every one of his 41 years but, in the fifth round, he scored a sudden knockdown. Kabayel appeared undeterred and, in the next round, he pummelled his despondent rival to the body. Zhang began to sag and then, as the punches hammered into his gut and flanks, he toppled over. There is little fire left in Zhang but Kabayel can look forward to more lucrative bouts at a higher level.
Vergil Ortiz Jr unanimously won his hotly anticipated super-welterweight showdown with Israil Madrimov. The pale Uzbek expended so much energy in the opening rounds, but Ortiz, the gifted Mexican-American from Texas, was more effective in short bursts. In the sixth, a frustrated Madrimov was warned for using his head and then sinking a shoulder into Ortiz. The round ended with Ortiz backing up Madrimov, whose swollen right eye needed attention on his stool.
Urged on by his corner, Madrimov came out with fresh intent and shaded the seventh and eighth. A dogfight broke out in the last nine minutes and the referee gave the Uzbek two more warnings for excessive use of the head midway through the 10th and 12th rounds. The faces of both men showed the marks of battle at the final bell but the decision belonged to Ortiz by scores of 117-111 and 115-113, twice.
Hamzah Sheeraz, the promising British middleweight with a flawless 21-0 record, faced the toughest opponent of his career. Carlos Adames, the WBC world middleweight champion from the Dominican Republic, is a tough and dangerous operator. But the cagey first four rounds were shaded by the challenger. Adames abruptly cranked up the intensity in the fifth and, at the bell, he gesticulated pointedly at the crowd. He was finally in the fight and Adames won the next round too with eye-catching bodywork.
The Dominican settled into a percussive rhythm, switching between the head and body, as he imposed himself more and more effectively. Sheeraz, concentrated and wary, sensed the momentum drifting away from him as his face looked increasingly bruised. He seemed tentative as they entered the championship rounds and his promoter, Frank Warren, shouted urgent advice for him to pick up the pace as his hopes for the title were slipping away.
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A blistering left hand gave Sheeraz renewed hope and he won the 11th round. But, as an ice pack was pressed down against his swollen eye, Sheeraz’s trainer told him in bluntly profane words that he needed a knockout to wrest the title away from the champion. But Adames hurt Sheeraz and pressured him with persuasive menace. He seemed to have sealed victory – and one judge gave the victory to Adames by 118-110.
But, shockingly, the first official ruled wrongly that Sheeraz had won by a margin of 115-114. The third scorecard, read out to widespread disbelief, was a 114-114 draw. It was still a sobering night, full of regret, for Sheeraz. The harsh truth was that he had failed to close the gap between potential and hard-won championship pedigree.
Adames shook his head dismissively at the poor decision, for he knows Sheeraz’s popularity in Saudi Arabia, but he remains the rightful champion.
Josh Padley, a part-time electrician from Yorkshire, fought bravely against Shakur Stevenson, the WBC world lightweight champion. Padley was working on site in his day job earlier this week when he was called in as a late replacement, like Bakole, to fly to Riyadh to face the celebrated American. He put up a creditable performance but, after being knocked down three times in round nine, his corner threw in the towel with merciful good sense.
