Joe
Rumble in the Jungle is making a return to Africa and sure will involve Anthony Joshua.
This is to become a reality given a challenge to the Nigerian-British boxer who has been called out by Congolese Heavyweight Martin Bakola who in a recent interview with TalkSPORT, issued a public challenge to Anthony Joshua, urging the British-Nigerian boxing star to face him in a historic bout in Africa, reminiscent of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s legendary “Rumble in the Jungle.”
Bakole, currently the number one ranked heavyweight, expressed his desire to bring the fight to the African continent, with the involvement of his country’s president. “In Africa, I need my president to be involved, but thank God, he is open to it,” Bakole stated.
“It would be such a pleasure for me to fight in Africa and be an ambassador in Africa for Riyadh Season. I’ve been calling out people like Joshua because he is originally from Nigeria. My hope is I always want to fight back home in Africa.”
Anthony Joshua, 34, known for his blockbuster heavyweight bouts, has had an illustrious career filled with major titles and dramatic victories. After suffering a few setbacks, including a loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has recently regained momentum with wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou.
As he prepares to face Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on September 21 for a chance to become a three-time world champion, Bakole’s challenge adds another layer of intrigue to Joshua’s future.
Bakole, who has been making waves in the heavyweight division, recently impressed during the Riyadh Season promotion, where he defeated American heavyweight Jared Anderson with a fifth-round stoppage. With the backing of Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, Bakole is also in line to face Zhilei Zhang, potentially in China.
As Bakole continues to build his resume, his call for a “Rumble in the Jungle” rematch with Joshua could set the stage for one of the most significant heavyweight showdowns of the modern era. Whether Joshua will accept the challenge remains to be seen, but Bakole’s ambitions are clear—he wants to make history by bringing a world-class boxing event to Africa.
