Ben Shalom: Martin Bakole Is Ruining His Career

Things went downhill from there. Bakole weighed 310 pounds when he accepted a fight against Joseph Parker on two days’ notice in February 2025. Parker dropped him and stopped him in the second round. The circumstances gave Bakole a reasonable excuse, but his weight remained high when he returned against Efe Ajagba less than three months later.

Bakole came in at 299 pounds for Ajagba and had to settle for a 10-round majority draw. He hasn’t fought since May 3, 2025.

Shalom questioned how much hunger remains after Bakole made significant money during his rise.

“We can all speculate. You know, I promoted him for an extremely long time and there were times where perhaps maybe his fitness level wasn’t great. Maybe he wasn’t in the gym. Maybe opportunities passed him by. Maybe we’ve earned him such a load of money that he’s not as hungry as he once was,” Shalom said on talkSPORT Boxing. “Ultimately, he’s ruining his career. You know, Boxxer, it’s ruining his career. Maybe he doesn’t want to fight, maybe he’s earned so much money. I’ve been promoting Martin Bakole for many years. I turned him into a multi-multi-millionaire. I prioritized him with every single opportunity. Done a fantastic job with him. But now, look, it’s a shame. I want to see him back in the ring and hopefully we will.”

The frustrating part is how quickly Bakole’s position changed. At 31, he stopped Anderson and finally had a result capable of pushing him toward the biggest fights in the division. He followed that breakthrough by weighing 310 and 299 pounds in his next two fights, resulting in a stoppage loss followed by a draw.

Now the bigger issue is that he isn’t fighting at all. The Anderson fight showed what Bakole can do when properly prepared. Two years later, that career-best win increasingly looks like an opportunity he failed to capitalize on.