ROYAL RUMBLE
Bakole was raised as a Congo prince but this native of Greengairs won’t rest until he is crowned king of heavy weights
MARTIN BAKOLE could quite easily have stayed in Congo and seen out the rest of his days enjoying the luxurious existence of a prince. Instead the 27-year-old has elected to sacrifice that lifestyle to take up residency in a Scottish village from where he hopes to fulfil his destiny of becoming the next king of the heavyweight boxing world.
He may be of regal stock but the fight game is in the Bakole blood, too. His father — the ruling king of the Kananga province — was a boxer, while his brother, Ilunga Makabu, once put Tony Bellew on his backside in the first round of their bout at Goodison Park.
Makabu is the reigning WBC cruiserweight champion and will defend his belt in their native Congo the week before Christmas. His little brother shares that dream too, his desire to bring close friend and sparring partner Anthony Joshua to Kinshasa to re-enact Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s famous Rumble in the Jungle joust from almost 50 years ago.
‘AJ and I spar a lot and are good friends,’ reveals Bakole. ‘But he knows I am coming for his belts. It’s our job. Work is work so you have to do what you can to succeed.
‘I have learned a lot from Anthony. He’s a good guy and a really good boxer, always coming forward looking to win.
‘I know AJ wants to fight in Africa one day because of his heritage so maybe we could make it happen in Kinshasa. It will be another Rumble in the Jungle!
‘My brother Ilunga is defending his world title there and I know how much that means to him. And one day I will hopefully do the same. That would be an amazing night for me.’
Scotland has no great pedigree in the heavyweight division, having never produced a British never mind world champion. Highlander Gary Cornish, who lasted one round with Joshua in a pugilistic mismatch, was the last great contender but has now retired.
Bakole, therefore, might t be the best we can hope for. r. Having spent the last four r years living in the Lanarkshire kshire village of Greengairs under the watchful eye of veteran boxing trainer Billy Nelson, the 27-year-old jokes that he is now half-Scottish and a Rangers fan to boot — the latter the result of Nelson’s influence.
The Matchroom boxer considers Scotland his second home now. And should he achieve his dream of becoming world champion, has only one venue in mind for his first title defence.
‘I’ve been here four years now and I love it in Scotland,’ he adds. ‘It’s pretty cold but I am used to it now! The people are nice and I feel settled.
‘I don’t really know many people apart from my coach, the other boxers I train with and some of the people in Greengairs. But I am happy here.
‘I’d love to fight i n Glasgow again. I defended my IBO title at the Hydro a few years ago and that was an incredible night with a great atmosphere. So when I become world champion I would love to defend my title there again.
‘This is my second home — I feel half-Scottish now!’
There are, of course, a few hurdles to navigate before he gets to that stage. Ranked 20th in the world, Bakole has the chance to take a giant step forward on Saturday when he competes for the WBC International title against Sergey Kuzmin on the undercard of Joshua’s latest defence.
Victory against the dangerous Russian will propel Bakole up the rankings and make him a viable option for fights in 2021 against the likes of Dillian Whyte or Michael Hunter, the latter the only man to have beaten Bakole in the professional game.
Nelson has talked up his charge as a future world champion who the leading contenders keep avoiding. Opportunity, though, is now knocking and Bakole knows he has to deliver in what will be his first fight for 13 months.
‘I’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity,’ he admits. ‘It is a really big chance for me to show the world what I can do.
‘I want to be in contention for big fights next year. If I can win this one against Kuzmin then it really pushes me forward.
‘The heavyweight division is very exciting right now. And most of the best fighters are here in the UK.
‘My coach says I am a future world champion and I agree. I want to get all the belts in the next few years and we are working hard towards that.
‘I won’t be satisfied to be No5 or six in the world. I am doing this to be No1. I am getting there slowly but my time is coming.’
The Bakole royal line was extended in the summer with the birth of an heir, Michael, still back home in Congo awaiting the opportunity to join his dad in Scotland.
The quietly-spoken Bakole lights up at the mention of his son, who will be in his thoughts when he steps into the ring at Wembley Arena next weekend.
‘It changes your mentality when you become a father. Before I was only fighting for myself but now I am doing it for my son. If he wants to become a boxer I will help him of course. And hopefully he can become a champion one day too.’