IBF orders Bakole vs Kabayel eliminator

Both Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel are coming off of upset knockouts, Baoke over Jared Anderson and Kabayel over Frank Sanchez

Multiple outlets report that the IBF has ordered Martin Bakole to face Agit Kabayel in a heavyweight eliminator to determine Daniel Dubois’ first mandatory challenger.

Both Bakole (21-1, 16 KO) and Kabayel (25-0, 17 KO) enter this bout on career-best hot streaks. Now six years removed from what could have been a derailing stoppage loss to Michael Hunter, Bakole destroyed top prospect Jared Anderson in August to cap off a 10-fight winning streak that includes eight finishes. His mix of size, durability, power, and output have made him a force to be reckoned with.

Kabayel is enjoying a career renaissance of his own, though he’s taken a slightly more esoteric route. He broke out with a 2017 decision over Derek Chisora that earned him a Top Rank contract, but spent the next half-decade idling before brutalizing Arslanbek Makhmudov in a major upset. While that win hasn’t aged all that well, doing the same to Frank Sanchez last May makes it hard to argue he’s not legit.

That Sanchez fight was technically a WBC eliminator, but fighting Bakole may be a more expedient route to a title shot than waiting for Usyk’s or Fury’s knot of mandatory obligations to resolve itself. On a selfish level, I’d love to see these two stand in the pocket and demolish each other’s midsections.