Job done. It wasn't the fight Joseph Parker wanted, but it certainly was the best statement he could make in the circumstances this morning in Riyadh by knocking out Martin Bakole in only the second round. Parker finished the fight with an overhand right, nailing Bakole on the crown of his head and sending the fighter from the Democratic Republic of Congo tumbling to the canvas.
Bakole struggled to his feet but the ref, probably taking into account the circumstances of the fight, quickly waved it off. Bakole, who had taken the fight on only 48 hours' notice, deserves credit for his bravery but it was evident when he walked to the ring clad in a makeshift robe fashioned from a Congolese flag that this was going to be an uphill battle. He came in weighing 140kgs, almost 20kgs heavier than Parker and the prevailing thought was that Parker would try and drag him to the later rounds and use his superior fitness.
However, Parker had other ideas and sensed that he could finish the fight early after a sluggish opening round. Bakole just simply could not move quick enough to get out of the way of Parker's assault, which was the fastest finish to one of his fights since his first round KO of Daniel Martz in 2015. "Martin Bakole, thank you very much for accepting the challenge," said Parker post fight.
"I went out, listened to Andy (Lee, his trainer)...
I'm fit, I'm strong, I'm healthy, I'm sharp. The best way was the overhand right." Afterwards, Parker reaffirmed his desire to fight for.
