Heavyweight contender Martin Bakole is planning to force a crack at WBA “regular” champion Daniel Dubois.
Bakole has been out of the ring since May of 2022, when he picked up a stunning decision win over Olympic gold medal winner Tony Yoka.
He is expected to become a lot busier in 2023 – after signing a promotional agreement with Ben Shalom’s Boxxer.
Ranked at number two under the WBA, and nobody currently ranked at number one, may lead to a Dubois vs. Bakole showdown.
Oleksandr Usyk holds the WBA’s “super” title at heavyweight. He is currently engaged in serious negotiations for a unification showdown with Tyson Fury.
Shalom believes the WBA is close to ordering a Dubois vs. Bakole mandatory fight.
“I think they’re about to order a mandatory for Daniel, Martin wants that title. Martin is top of the tree in the WBA now,” Shalom said to Sky Sports.
“With his win against Tony Yoka, he was so impressive to go out and do that in Paris against a former Olympic champion. On the circuit he’s possibly the most avoided heavyweight out there. Delighted to have him. I think he could challenge for world titles very soon.
“Martin backs himself in any fight in the heavyweight division. Daniel Dubois is on his list and Billy Nelson [Bakole’s trainer] has been talking about him for a long time and they’re ready to go. It’s definitely that title that we have our eyes on. Obviously Daniel’s injured at the moment. But luckily with Martin he will fight anyone. They could pick any name for him to fight for that title and he would take it. So we’ve got a very, very good heavyweight that’s willing to fight anyone. That’s a perfect mix.”