Agit Kabayel has reportedly pulled out of the purse bids for an IBF heavyweight title eliminator against Martin Kabayel for what would have been a battle to determine the mandatory to champion Daniel Dubois for his belt.
Dan Rafael reports that Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) has chosen to go in a “different direction.” There’s speculation that Kabayel may be selected as Dubuis’ next opponent for February without facing the dangerous Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs).
Kabayel Being Roasted by Fans
Fans on social media are roasting Kabayel for pulling out of the purse bid, viewing it as a case of bad nerves on his part, knowing what he was up against fighting the heavy-handed Bakole. This guy is seen as a blend of George Foreman and Sonny Liston, with the power he can generate on shots that aren’t thrown with a lot of speed but have a hard, thudding impact.
With that fight off the table, #4 IBF Bakole and #5 Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) are expected to be the next title eliminator to be ordered for Dubois’ International Boxing Federation title.
It’s understandable why Kabayel, 32, would choose to skip the IBF title eliminator against the heavy-handed Bakole if he can get a straight title shot against Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) on a Riyadh Season card and get a big payday. Upsetting Dubois, who can be hot and cold, would like Kabayel up for lucrative fights against Anthony Joshua or the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 rematch.
Bakole, 31, is a dangerous puncher coming off a fifth-round knockout over America’s #1 hope, Jared Anderson, on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. He reduced Anderson ro rubble, dropping him three times in the fight, once in round one and twice more in the fifth. This was part of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season card that was headlined by Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov.
Zhang Vs. Bakole Possible For IBF Eliminator
A fight between the two-time Chinese Olympian Zhang and Bakole would be entertaining for the fans, as both are slow, large, and powerful. Zhang, 41, looked great, knocking out former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in the fifth round on June 1st in Riyadh.
Zhang’s weight was down to a more manageable 282 lbs for that fight from the 291.5 lbs he’d weighed in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker in his previous fight on March 8th in Riyadh. Like Gilgamesh, the eternal man, Zhang is one of those fighters who defies age.