Martin Bakole handed celebrated prospect Jared “Big Baby” Anderson his first loss, scoring three knockdowns en route to a fifth round TKO win.
Anderson (17-1, 12 KO) went down in the first round and then twice in the fifth before referee Jerry Cantu stepped in to stop the bout with Anderson under another heavy attack.
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Bakole (21-1, 16 KO) had a clear game plan from the start, which was absorbing shots and lining up return fire, and it worked well. Bakole is a big, tough guy, and he seemed to ignore body shots from Anderson, while his big, cement head handled the shots upstairs.
“I want to thank Big Baby for accepting a fight with me,” a celebratory Bakole said. “I’m the most avoided heavyweight in the world. I wish him good luck in the future. Don’t give up, go back to the gym and work hard.”
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For Bakole, 32, it’s a huge win for his career and puts him square in the conversation, as Anderson had been touted as America’s best heavyweight to come along in years. Many saw this as a big step up for “Big Baby,” and it definitely was, with Anderson, 24, just failing a test, simple as that.
“I made some of the same mistakes I’ve been making,” Anderson admitted. “You win some, you lose some. Hats off to him. He did his thing. I lost, I’ll go back to the gym.”
Anderson said he didn’t listen to his corner, and also said that Bakole did surprise him with how strong he was, but that he knows at his young age he will have time to get better.