Martin Bakole blasted out Jared Anderson three times to dethrone Tyson Fury’s ‘future heavyweight king’.
Bakole and Anderson fought in a huge heavyweight clash at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, with the winner looking to throw their name into the world title mix.
Anderson went down in a career-first inside the opening three minutesCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom
British heavyweight Tyson Fury had named Anderson as the ‘heir to his heavyweight throne’ with the American taking on the biggest test of his career since his rise to stardom.
But it was Anderson who fell to an astonishing defeat, as he was dropped three times before the contest was halted in a devastating KO from Bakole in the fifth.
The fight began as the sluggers both looked to establish control of centre ring with Bakole keen to drag his rival into a dog fight.
And that went exactly to plan, as the Congolese power-hitter floored the American with a huge right hand after a neat flurry, which left ‘Big Baby’ on his back.
Anderson was saved by the bell, but it was the first time in his career that he had been down, and he was forced to grit down on the gumshield in the corner.
Martin Bakole punches holes through Jared Anderson, stopping him in round 5 to improve his record to 21-1 (16 KOs).
pic.twitter.com/7WAhvs2sv0— 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒔 (@KOJournals) August 4, 2024
The second stanza continued at a ferocious pace, with both fighters leaving absolutely nothing to chance with some heavy shots hitting the target particularly of young talent Anderson.
It was a tough start for the prodigy who traded with Bakole in the simply thrilling early stages, with Anderson trying to stay with his rival and he started to get more success with a chopping uppercut in the third.
Both men continued to slug it out in the fourth, with Anderson dragged into a brutal shootout which saw his lip bloodied as some heavy shots crashed beyond the guard.
Bakole made another astonishing breakthrough in the fifth as he unloaded another barrage which sent Anderson to the canvas for a second time.
He continued his onslaught and ‘Big Baby’ went down for a third time and he looked out on his feet, but he rose for a final hoorah.
Bakole landed two more knockdowns in the fifth and conclusive roundCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Bakole celebrated wildly as he stunned the prospectCredit: mARK rOBINSON / mATCHROOM
But the ‘forgotten man’ piled on the pressure with more booming shots, and the referee had seen enough.
The American was simply unable to deal with the ferocious power, and was not throwing anything back, which saw the young star stopped and handed his first loss.
It was a truly remarkable upset, with Bakole blasting him out in dominant fashion to put the division on notice.
Anderson now faces a huge turnaround mission to get his career back on track, as he now will need a rebuild to regain momentum in the early stages of his time in the professional ranks.
Fury had previously had huge words for the champion, but it was simply not enough as Bakole showed his potential.
There could be some huge options down the line for the Congolese star who has been avoided by many in the blue-riband division.
He will look to enforce his WBA challenge in the future as he currently holds the mandatory status in the leading ranked position.
A rematch with former conqueror Michael Hunter was exactly what he called for after the final bell.