During the 2024 The Ring Awards ceremony held on January 11 in London (UK), Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole (21–1, 16 KOs) and former world champion from Britain Anthony Joshua (28–4, 25 KOs) squared off in an intense staredown.
Just recently, Bakole challenged Joshua and vowed to knock him out in the very first round.
In September, Anthony Joshua was knocked out in the 5th round by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
In August, Martin Bakole stopped American prospect Jared Anderson in the 5th round. The most likely next opponent for the Congolese fighter is Efe Ajagba, with the winner of that pairing becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.