'Do not deny that man': Joseph Parker knocks out Martin Bakole as world title fight awaits
Updated . First published at
Joseph Parker has made light work of Martin Bakole, with the Kiwi heavyweight earning a second-round knockout win on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Initially slated to take on Daniel Dubois for the IBF world title before the English star pulled out, Parker accepted a fight with Bakole, who stepped up on short notice.
It ended in misery for the hard-hitting African, who was dropped by Parker in brutal fashion before his corner and referee put an end to the bout.
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Joseph Parker looks down at a fallen Martin Bakole. Getty
It marks a sixth-straight win for Parker, who is seemingly in the mix for a showdown against Oleksandr Usyk, who holds four out of the five belts in the division.
Speaking post-fight, the 33-year-old called out Usyk after another dominant victory.
"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," Parker said.
"I just went out there and stayed structured, composed and got the victory.
"Who's next? How do I fight for the world title next? If Usyk wants a dance partner, I'll get uncle Frank [Warren] to come in here and lock in a fight.
"I want to fight for the world title and I'd like to be champion of the world again."
Parker (36-3) has enjoyed an incredible resurgence in recent years to cement himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
In the main event of the DAZN pay-per-view card, Dmitry Bivol claimed a majority decision win over Artur Beterbiev to win the unified light-heavyweight title.
Earlier on the card in Saudi Arabia, Shakur Stevenson defeated Josh Padley to retain the WBC lightweight title, while Agit Kabayel knocked out Zhilei Zhang.
