Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole Betting Odds

In a shocking turn of events on Thursday evening, Joseph Parker missed out on the opportunity to challenge Britain’s Daniel Dubois for the IBF Heavyweight Championship after the reigning titleholder was declared medically unfit to fight by doctors. Instead, the New Zealander will meet highly-ranked Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole.

Dubbed “the most avoided heavyweight in boxing”, Bakole took the bout on 48 hours’ notice and comes into the contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a professional record of 21-1. Parker’s recent record is similarly impressive, having gone 5-0 since being knocked out by Joe Joyce in 2022. With former middleweight world champion Andy Lee as his trainer, Parker has navigated himself back to the top of the division, with wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.

In theory, Bakole is at a massive disadvantage after accepting the fight on just a few days’ worth of notice. However, although he isn’t the favourite, oddsmakers make the 33-year-old a live underdog in the contest.

The Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole Betting Odds are Surprisingly Close

Bakole hasn’t lost since 2018 and is expected to put on a strong performance

Parker – who has had a full camp in preparation for his now-scrapped world title fight with Dubois – is the bookies’ favourite for the contest at 4/7. A £10 bet on him to win the fight returns £15.71 (a profit of only £5.71).

The same £10 win on Bakole at 11/8 returns a far healthier £23.75 (£13.75 profit). The draw is available at 18/1 – although few fancy the contest to go the full distance given Bakole’s complete lack of preparation time.

For those who fancy Parker to get the job done, the best value may be found in backing him to win via stoppage. The 33-year-old is 5/4 to take the victory inside the distance. Bakole, meanwhile, is 2/1 to do the same, essentially providing the opportunity for his backers to treble their money if he pulls it off. Many believe that a win inside the distance is the late replacement’s best hope of springing an upset.

The WBO were expected to strip Parker of his interim heavyweight title once his planned bout with Dubois began. However, given the change in circumstances, he will now defend that belt against Bakole on Saturday night. The winner will become the mandatory challenger for full champion, Oleksandr Usyk. Parker may have missed out on a world title opportunity this weekend, but there’s still plenty on the line in Riyadh.

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