Jared Anderson was the top heavyweight hope until he met Martin Bakole on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Most people thought he would ultimately prevail in his bout to secure yet another win, but things clearly didn’t play out that way. And now, the 24-year-old Houston resident is contemplating what really happened in that fight.

Despite Anderson being the favorite going into the fight, Bakole dropped Anderson in the very first round and set the tone for what the rest of the skirmish would look like. Come round five, Anderson found himself once again kissing the canvas, not once but twice before the bout was ended. Fast forward to today, Anderson hopped on social media to share his thoughts.

Jared Anderson falls short

Earlier today on Instagram, ‘The Real Big Baby’ expressed his frustration, writing, “Wtf was I Thinking Tryna Bang It Out With That A** Mf [?]” The young heavyweight had shown promise in several main events before this fight, though his opponents had often been less formidable. Nevertheless, he performed well last summer against Charles Martin, a former title holder, securing a unanimous decision victory.

The Bakole fight on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov card was supposed to be a massive step-up in the quality of his opponents, a first litmus test of his career, which it seems he failed quite badly. “I made some of the same mistakes I [have] been making”, Anderson said after his loss. “You win some, you lose some… Hats off to him, I lost… He was strong as s**t”, he added. 

On the other hand, Martin Bakole, who fought on American soil for the first time, did surprisingly well, and he was aware of it in the post-fight interview. 

Martin Bakole is here to take over 

The 31-year-old had entered the ring that day with the sole mission to secure the victory for himself, and he wasn’t about to take any chances. He pushed Anderson back to the ropes time and time again. The third knockdown Bakole scored was especially brilliant and sealed his win for good. “I told you from the beginning I’m a machine”, the Scottish resident said. 

Reflecting on his debut fight in the country, Bakole said, “I came here to work. This is what I do for my people in Congo, this is what I do for Scotland. … I’m here to take over”. Regardless, Bakole’s sole blemish in his record came from an October 2018 fight against Michael Hunter, who was ringside during the Riyadh Season card and made his way into the ring to set up a potential rematch. 

Having said that, Jared Anderson appears to be regretting his performance against Martin Bakole. However, there’s nothing he or anyone else can do now, meaning, the only option for ‘The Real Big Baby’ is to move on and come back with a bang. What do you think should be Anderson’s next step?