Agit Kabayel has reportedly pulled out of the purse bid for an IBF heavyweight title eliminator against Martin Kabayel for what would have been a fight to determine mandatory champion Daniel Dubois for his belt.
And Raphael reports that Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) chose to enter a “different direction.” There is speculation that Kabayel could be chosen as Dubuis’ next opponent for February without facing the dangerous Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs).
Kabayel is roasted by fans
Fans on social media are roasting Kabayel for pulling out of the purse bid, calling it a case of bad nerves on his part, knowing what he was up against against the hard-nosed Bakole. This guy is seen as a mix of George Foreman and Sonny Liston, with the power he can generate on shots that aren’t thrown with a lot of velocity, but have a hard, bouncy 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 ordered for Dubois’ International Boxing Federation title.
It’s understandable why Kabayel, 32, would opt to skip the IBF title eliminator against the tough Bakole if he can get a straight title shot against Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) on a Riyadh season card and a big can get payday. Disturbing Dubois, who can be hot and cold, would like Kabayel to pursue lucrative fights against Anthony Joshua or the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk wants to play 2 rematch.
Bakole, 31, is a dangerous puncher coming off a fifth round knockout over America’s #1 prospect, Jared Anderson, on August 3rd at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. He reduced Anderson’s junk, dropping him three times in the fight, once in round one and twice more in the fifth. It was part of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh season card featuring Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov was on the head.
Zhang vs. Bakole possible for IBF Eliminator
A fight between two-time Chinese Olympian Zhang and Bakole will be entertaining for the fans as both are slow, big and powerful. Zhang, 41, looked superb, knocking out former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in the fifth round on June 1 in Riyadh.
Zhang’s weight was down to a more manageable 282 lbs for that fight from the 291.5 lbs he weighed in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker in his previous fight on March 8 in Riyadh. As Gilgameshthe eternal human, Zhang is one of those fighters who defy age.
