he was indeed and especially given how confident he was. Look at how smug he was at the weigh in the day before. I'm glad he got his head punched in.
Anderson is a little small but Bakole stuck in a great performance that night. Plenty of time on his side to rebuild and this defeat may make him a better fighter. Amazing that no credit is given by some for Bakole going to the USA and beating an undefeated fighter.
I don't mean to offend anyone, not least since Billy Nelson posts on here now and again - but have never seen the fuss about Bakole. Good fighter but (possibly not his own fault) never really tested in anger. Never trust sparring stories. 18 months ago the lad Makhmudov was touted by some people as a beast in the division, then he was easily beaten by Kabayel and then again recently by a nobody. Until people get through tests like that I can't get involved in the hype too much. It's possible to say that and still be excited by prospects like Itauma but he's yet to face any reasonable test either. It's not easy to get excited about Bakole.
Martin is somewhat overrated I think. He did a job on Anderson but he did ship a lot of punches...now, whether this was through disdain for Andersons power or maybe he has a leaky defence, he won't get away with that against the top guys. All these sparring stories mean nothing. Ali used to get beat up in sparring, Hrgovic beat up big Dan in sparring. So what? Bakole still has a lot to prove...I will, however, enjoy watching his journey!!
"Jesus H Christ" is harsh. Bakole (in this forum and elsewhere) is pure hype at the moment. Makhmudov was portrayed as some kind of monster in a similar way. I'm not comparing them as boxers but both had reputations they didn't deserve; Makhmudov got found out, let's see over time if Bakole does.
he's not pure hype bob. he's actually really good. This whole unproven thing is what people who don't know what they're looking at say. They can't identify talent. You wouldn't be a very good scout bob.
I'm not a scout, I'm a punter. Watched boxing for about 45 years. I've watched plenty fighters promise a lot and not deliver. I *hope* Bakole is the real deal but genuinely haven't seen much to convince me he's the world beater some make out. Fringe contender is perfectly OK.
I'm not saying it's true but there is a chance you've been watching for 45 year and not known what you've been looking at. Bakole is awesome
Definitely credit deserved I always knew he'd win but away from home and against a skilled fighter It was a risk of sorts
He's not small. He's apparently 6'4''. He might not be that but he is lean at 250 odd pounds. He's a good boxer, but typical cocky yank with a punchable face.