Martin Bakole took a significant chance by agreeing to fill in for the ill Daniel Dubois to face Joseph Parker on only 48 hours’ notice. Unfortunately, that risk did not pay off for Bakole as a right hand from Parker caught his temple, sending him down and prompting his corner to stop the fight before the end of the second round in the co-main event of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 undercard.

Bakole was known as ’the boogeyman’ of the heavyweight division due to his power and size, leading many to avoid facing him. Parker, however, seized the opportunity to fight Bakole after Dubois withdrew from the bout, taking the IBF heavyweight title with him.

After a cautious first round, Parker landed a decisive right hand that sent Bakole to the canvas in a slow-motion fall due to his loss of balance.

Although Bakole managed to get up, his corner immediately signaled for the fight to be stopped. The short-notice fight took its toll, with Bakole weighing in at over 310 pounds, compared to his 284 pounds from a previous notable victory against Jared Anderson last August.

With this win, Parker has now reached a remarkable six-fight winning streak, with his last three victories in Saudi Arabia standing out as major accomplishments. He was slated to challenge for the IBF title prior to Dubois’ withdrawal, and he remains a prominent contender for another world title fight after successfully navigating one of the feared opponents in his division.