Dsalita There is no confirmation yet on whether Vergil Ortiz Jr. will have a new opponent for the upcoming Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov event in Los Angeles on August 3rd. However, a piece of positive news has surfaced today. Turki Alalshikh has revealed that promising heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson, who was supposed to face Deontay Wilder if he had defeated Zhilei Zhang last weekend, will now go toe-to-toe with Martin Bakole.
Anderson, with a record of 17-0 and 15 knockouts, was once considered the future of the heavyweight division due to his string of quick knockout victories. However, his reputation has taken a hit in the past year following lackluster performances against Charles Martin and Ryad Merhy, as well as a series of run-ins with the law for various driving offenses.
On the other hand, Bakole, boasting a record of 20-1 with 15 knockouts, faced a similar setback after a surprising loss to Michael Hunter in 2018. Since then, he has bounced back with nine consecutive wins, including notable victories over Sergey Kuzmin and Tony Yoka. Nonetheless, there are concerns about his weight, especially after weighing close to 300 pounds in his last fight against Carlos Takam, a significant increase from his previous bouts.
This matchup between Anderson and Bakole presents an exciting challenge for Anderson to regain his lost momentum and for Bakole to stake his claim in the heavyweight title picture after a period of rebuilding. It promises to be a compelling showdown that could reshape the future of both fighters in the division.
