Bakole can Hunt down top prizes

HEAVYWEIGHT prospect Martin Bakole reminds me a little of Riddick Bowe.

Bakole has a long way to go to match Bowe (below, fighting Andrew Golota), but in raw talent terms he has all he needs to impact on the world stage.

It is early days, and tonight’s showdown with 2012 Olympian Michael Hunter at the York Hall is no gimme, but with the Channel 5 feed being picked up worldwide this has the makings of a breakout fight for Bakole (above).

The son of Congolese royalty has a story to tell. Shipped out to South

Africa for his own safety as a boy he has ended up working with Billy Nelson north of the border. He might even be the next ‘King of Scotland’.

At 6ft 6in he is a formidable beast, 11 and 0, and good enough to spend 150 rounds sparring with Anthony Joshua.

Hopefully, the next time they meet in a ring a world title will be at stake.

Bakole has that most precious quality, innate boxing talent. It is a difficult thing to articulate. You can train fighters to be world champions, but at the highest level the ones blessed by nature separate themselves out.

He moves with incredible rhythm. He can hit you with five, six punches on the spin, then bang in the left hook. You don’t see heavyweights doing that.

Like many Congolese fighters he also has an incredible chin. You can’t fight in the trenches like he does without that.

This is the fight where world boxing takes notice of Bakole. And he needs to get out of the blocks quickly.

Hunter’s only defeat came at cruiserweight to the great Oleksandr Usyk. Hunter is mentored by former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. They are coming here for the win.

Having questioned our wisdom in inviting Hunter over here, it shows they do not know much about Bakole.

They will be better informed tonight. Half-a-dozen close rounds, then Bakole will take Hunter out.