Joseph Parker’s Stunning Second-Round Knockout of Martin
Joseph Parker stopped Martin Bakole in the second round on February 22, 2025, at ANB Arena in Riyadh. Bakole had replaced ill IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on short notice, changing the matchup Parker had prepared for. Parker was defending the WBO interim heavyweight title; the fight ended at 2:17 of round two after a right hand left Bakole unsteady and needing the ropes to regain his balance. The Ring’s ringside report records the stoppage and confirms Parker retained the interim belt.
A late opponent change
Parker had been due to face Dubois in a heavyweight title contest, but Dubois withdrew because of illness. Bakole accepted the replacement bout and travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with less than a day before the fight. That short preparation window was a major part of the unusual circumstances, but Bakole still came forward and landed punches in the opening round.
Parker stayed composed through the first three minutes. In round two, he caught Bakole with a right hook that disrupted his balance. Bakole beat the referee’s count, but needed the ropes to steady himself; referee Steve Gray stopped the contest at 2:17. Parker said afterward that he had followed trainer Andy Lee’s instructions to stay calm and wait for the right opening. The result was a technical knockout for Parker and a successful defense of his interim WBO title.
A route back toward a full title shot
The win extended Parker’s strong run after earlier victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. At the time, he was pursuing another full world-title opportunity and called out unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk after the Bakole fight. The planned bout with Dubois had already represented a direct chance to move closer to the top of the division; beating Bakole kept Parker’s interim title and contender status intact. It was a short, decisive performance under changing conditions rather than the championship matchup the event had originally advertised.
What happened afterward
Parker next fought Fabio Wardley on October 25, 2025, and the referee stopped him in the 11th round. The anti-doping case following that bout changed how the result is recorded: UK Anti-Doping later said its expert concluded the substance entered Parker’s system out of competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance. Parker accepted a three-month period of ineligibility that was deemed served, and UKAD stated that the Wardley result was automatically disqualified under its rules. His provisional suspension was lifted in June 2026, making him eligible to compete again. UKAD’s published case summary sets out the findings and the status of the result.
The Bakole victory remains an important part of Parker’s 2025 title run and a clear example of how a late opponent change reshaped a heavyweight card.
Sources
Tags: MMA
