On February 22, Martin Bakole saved the “greatest boxing card ever,” by replacing Daniel Dubois at the last possible second. The Congolese fighter fighter faced Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker on just two days’ notice and even arrived in Riyadh the morning of the fight. Weighing in at a whopping 310lbs, Bakole was evidently out of shape, out of practice, and had little chance against the former WBO heavyweight champion. While it was a brave decision and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh must be grateful to Bakole for saving his event, it was not a good outing for Bakole.

Parker knocked him out in the second round to win the fight without even breaking a sweat. However, the thing is that it could have been far more dangerous for Martin Bakole than what went down, something which was mentioned by Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn right after the fight. The duo criticized the Kananga native’s team for even letting him accept the fight at such a late hour, that too, against a fighter of Joseph Parker’s caliber. However, it looks like Bakole’s coach Billy Nelson is in no mood to accept the criticism. He hit back at Eddie Hearn showing no guilt over taking the fight.

Is the title eliminator still in play for Martin Bakole?

The morning after the Riyadh event, Nelson sat down with The Stomping Ground to discuss the fight. During the interview, the interviewer reflected on Matchroom’s head honcho comment on the fight he made to The Stomping Ground. Hearn had told the reporter, “I don’t think the fight should have happened if I’m honest. I don’t think anyone did anything wrong. But you know when you’re representing Martin Bakole, you’ve got to ask yourself right… I think sometimes you need to just take a step back and go, ‘What on Earth were you doing?’” taking a dig directly at trainer Billy Nelson and Bakole’s promoter Ben Shalom in the process.

Obviously, the veteran boxing coach was not impressed by the accusations. He defended his decision to accept the fight, claiming that it was more than just for a title opportunity. Nelson dismissed Hearn’s claims that the fight against Parker would affect Bakole’s upcoming IBF title eliminator in May against Efe Ajagba. “We are fighting May the second, but it won’t be a final eliminator,” claimed Nelson. It looks like Bakole’s team had taken a guarantee from His Excellency Turki Alalshikh that his Parker fight would in no way affect his fight in May. However, the coach believes that if the 33-year-old could have somehow managed to defeat Joseph Parker, it would have been sensational. So, in the end, they had nothing to lose.

Furthermore, for a boxer like Martin Bakole, rejecting such a huge amount of money is not easy. “It’s okay for a multi-millionaire to dig on somebody that’s not a multi-millionaire that they shouldn’t take the opportunity and life-changing money,” said Billy Nelson, hitting out at Hearn. He believes that from Eddie Hearn’s position, it is easier to pass the comment. However, when an offer like this comes, even at the last second, you can’t deny that.

The veteran Scottish trainer further stated that Bakole is absolutely fine and is already shopping with the money he received. So, it was not a bad decision at all. And what about Jake Paul’s comment? It doesn’t seem like after earning “life-changing money,” Martin Bakole’s team is too concerned about anyone’s comment at the moment. But what did Jake Paul say?

Jake Paul lauds Bakole while slamming his team

Right after the fight, The Problem Child took to his ‘X’ and praised the Kananga native for his bravery. He wrote, “My man flew commercial flights to show up and fight one of the best in the world. Fair play to his courage.” However, what he couldn’t wrap his mind around was the fact that the 33-year-old’s team allowed him to accept the fight. “but shame on his advisors,” wrote Jake Paul to conclude his comment on the fight.

Bakole’s promoter Ben Shalom, though, decided to reply to the criticism while being positive about his fighter’s future. In a conversation with Sky Sports, Shalom stated, “Martin wanted to take a big opportunity to save the show. It was always a massive risk. But he wanted the fight on the assurance of him fighting in a big fight in May with notice.” Shalom assured that the loss against Parker wouldn’t affect his fighter majorly.

Even though that is the case and Bakole’s future looks secure, it could have been far worse. Parker is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world. Getting into the squared circle against him with no training could have ended very badly. Thankfully, that did not happen. But, the criticism from Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn seems valid. Who would have thought that Jake Paul would be the voice of reason for once? What is your take on the matter?