Anderson Explains Knockout Loss to Bakole

On the night of August 4 in Los Angeles, USA, on the undercard of the Crawford vs. Madrimov fight, American heavyweight prospect (over 90.7 kg) Jared Anderson (17-1, 15 KOs) suffered his first career defeat against Congolese Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs).

Jared was knocked down at the end of the first round and twice more in the 5th, prompting the referee to stop the fight – KO in the 5th round.

Commenting on his defeat, Anderson explained that he made old mistakes but acknowledged the strength of his opponent.

"I made a few mistakes that I had made before. I came here to win, but I lost. I need to stop backing up because I keep repeating the same mistakes.

My biggest mistake today was not listening to my corner. My opponent was damn strong. I can't be mad. I'm heading to see my daughter now," said Anderson.

In turn, the fight's victor explained that he had planned to use the uppercut against his opponent, knowing it would work.

"I am the most avoided fighter in the world. I said I would do this, and I kept my promise. This is what I do for my child. This is what I do for my country, Congo, and also for Scotland. I told you from the beginning that I am a machine. No one wants to fight me.

We planned to use the uppercut. I’m a bit taller than him and knew the uppercut would work," said Bakole.

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn, who promised a tough night for Jared, also commented on the intense fight and named two potential opponents for Martin.

"I hated this fight for Jared Anderson. He's 24 years old, young and promising. He hadn't faced serious opponents yet, and Martin is a world-class fighter, a huge heavyweight. I thought it was a bad stylistic match-up and a poor choice of opponent.

Jared Anderson and his team did well. This is exactly what we want to see. He is only 24, and he has a great future ahead of him. I'm glad he didn't suffer serious injuries. He went down but didn't take a hard hit. He will be back.

Martin Bakole can pose a serious challenge to any opponent. However, right now he won't get a big fight due to a lack of profile. The biggest dilemma now is who Turki Alalshikh will decide to match Bakole with next.

He could have a good fight with Agit Kabayel. There’s also Zhang Zhilei. These are two big opponents. Bakole deserves a big fight," Hearn said in an interview with iFL TV.