At the legendary York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Saturday, undefeated heavyweight prospect Martin Bakole 11-0 (8) took a calculated risk by taking on previously undefeated world Cruiserweight title challenger Michael Hunter 15-1 (10) in an international contest for the IBO intercontinental title.. Hunter a Las Vegas based Californian is the son of former fighter Mike The Bounty Hunter, but was giving away height and around 40 pounds in weight to Bakole, a Scottish based native of the Congo, but came into the contest with a considerable amount of experience at a higher level than that of his larger opponent.. In the early rounds Bakole attempted to intimidate Hunter with a walk forward stalking approach, but soon found the illusive American a much more spirited handful than first anticipated.. By round 4 Hunter had gained a healthy lead with aggressive counter punches, that initially didn’t appear to be visibly bothering Bakole.. The massive Bakole began to find some success in the fifth as the busy Hunter began to show signs of fatigue, at this point Martin used his added weight and size to manoeuvre the tiring Hunter onto his deliberate but hurtful shots.. Round 7 saw Bakole absorb a lot more punches than he needed too from Hunter, and although the much smaller man, Hunters shots did appear to stop Bakole in his tracks. Midway into the round Hunter, cut on the eyelid but handily ahead on points started to take unnecessary risks, trading leather and walking onto shots from the massive African, ending the round looking the worse for wear for the first time in the bout.. Hunter returned to boxing in the eighth and once again began to pepper Bakole with accurate jabs, setting up fast eye catching right hands, at the conclusion of the round an exhausted, Bakole winced as he returned to his corner, obviously in pain from what looked like a shoulder injury.. Between rounds Martin looked on the verge of quitting before experienced trainer Billy Nelson convinced him to continue by just working with the left hand.. Round 9 was awkward to watch as the unbeaten Bakole struggled to keep Hunter, now fully aware of the situation at bay, the demoralised fighter seemed lost as the smaller Hunter poked and prodded spearing punches through his one handed defence, Nelson unfortunately allowed his completely handicapped fighter to enter the tenth and final round horribly at a disadvantage. Hunter a streak ahead on the cards appeared to be on his way to a unanimous points win, but with a minute left in the round opened up with a rally of hooks and straight right hands that for the first time staggered Bakole into the ropes, a further barrage, followed by a straight right hand to the head and a left hook, forced referee Phil Edwards to jump in and stop the action at 2.19 of the final stanza.. The jubilant Hunter had pulled off what the bookmakers had considered an upset, as the beaten Bakole had been making noises amongst a who’s who of British heavyweights in sparring sessions, convincing many to favour him over the American. Hunter who many had only considered a mere Cruiserweight, had previously boxed in two Olympics as a heavyweight, and was the top USA Super heavyweight several years prior.. A tough pill to swallow for Bakole and Nelson as their calculated risk had backfired, but a wonderful jump start into the heavyweights for Hunter as his international profile received a well earned boost.
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