Joseph Parker knocks out Martin Bakole. Joseph Parker required a mere five minutes to knock out Martin Bakole.. Bakole had stepped in at the last minute, with only 48 hours’ notice, to replace Daniel Dubois who fell ill on Thursday. The Congolese fighter, based in Scotland, made a hurried journey from his homeland, landing in Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning.. However, it turned out to be a futile trip as he was floored by Parker in the second round, positioning the New Zealander as the mandatory challenger to world champion Oleksandr Usyk. In the opening round, Bakole showed no intention of taking the fight to Parker, choosing instead to box on the back foot and accept the pressure from the Kiwi.. Despite being 43lb lighter than his late-replacement opponent, Parker had the advantage of a five-month training camp. He began to target Bakole’s body in the second round, landing consecutive right hands.. Shifting his attack upstairs, another right hand hit Bakole. Initially, he seemed to absorb the blow well before his legs gave way and he gradually collapsed to the canvas.. Earlier, Hamzah Sheeraz didn’t succeed in his first world title fight, ending in a draw with middleweight champion Carlos Adames, reports the Mirror. Sheeraz started strong but lost momentum as the fight progressed, with Adames seemingly doing enough to secure the win.. However, only one judge agreed, with one favouring Sheeraz and one scoring the fight as a tie. Meanwhile, Callum Smith revitalised his career with a notable victory over British rival Joshua Buatsi.. Smith outperformed his compatriot on all three scorecards following a fierce exchange. The former super-middleweight world champion was subsequently taken to hospital after receiving a cut above his right eye.. Article continues below. Doncaster electrician Josh Padley, who stepped up to fight three-weight world champion Shakur Stevenson at just four days’ notice, fought bravely but was knocked down thrice in the ninth round before the bout was called off.
