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For Kultida Woods, Phil Mickelson was more deserving of the nickname “hefty” and not “lefty”. 

As the two top golfing stars in their time, both Mickelson and Tiger Woods exuded a fierce rivalry finely balanced on ego, competition, and “disdain”—the last word being more of how Woods felt toward his fierce rival.

Son of a Vietnamese veteran father and a Thai mother, the three-time US Open Winner was aware (and perhaps angry and jealous?) that Mickelson was more naturally talented than he was. As golf writer Alan Shipnuck noted, “Tiger knew that Phil was the most naturally gifted player ever to hold a golf club. But Tiger looked at him with disdain. He couldn’t fathom having that much ability but not putting in the time to be great.” Now add to that the “20 extra pounds” that the six-time US Open runner weighed as opposed to Tiger’s strict dietary regime, and it explains why Kultida might have been irked. Also, it didn’t help that they got off on the wrong foot, thanks to a dig Mickelson found immensely funny at the time…

Inside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson's epic, love-hate rivalry

READ: What is Tiger Woods’political affiliation? What we know about ties to Donald Trump

Back in 1998, the two golfers (both in their 20s) had bet $500 dollars while playing a practice round ahead of the Nissan Open at the Valencia Country Club in California. While Woods ultimately lost, his opponent celebrated by placing photocopies of his winning $100 bills in Mr. T’s locker, with a note that read, “Just wanted you to know Benji and his friends are very happy in their new home.” Well, safe to say, Woods didn’t take it lightly. The result?

The duo didn’t play another practice round together for a staggering 20 years, until the 2018 Masters. While Mickelson was a true “senior” as they call it, having joined the sports five years prior, and racked up nine PGA Tour wins by the time Woods joined in 1996, it didn’t take much time for the latter to catch up. As things stand, the 49-year-old has 82 PGA Tour wins (tied-1st all-time), and 110 as a professional. Mickelson, on the other hand, stands at 45 PGA Tour wins (tied-8th all-time), and 57 tournament victories as a professional. We clearly see a winner, don’t we?

Perhaps that’s the reason why the conflict has since dampened if not completely gone, as more apparent by Woods’ words. “That’s just part of the deal. I have enjoyed competing and playing against him. We’ve been doing it for 20-plus years. But I’ve really enjoyed it. And I think that there will certainly be some time talking involved and some snide comments and trying to get in one of his head. But the end of the day, he understands who has more wins,” he said during an Inside the NBA appearance in November, 2018.

Mickelson, too, long recognized Woods’s influence on the game, and in a recent open discussion, he finally acknowledged the true debt he owes to his greatest rival.

In a recent interview on the Australian Golf Digest YouTube channel, the veteran discussed his career, the evolution of golf fitness, and how Tiger Woods was the inspiration behind it. Talking about Mickelson’s fitness regime, the host asked, You’ve never looked better, and I mean that. Do you have regrets, maybe not getting into this a lot earlier in your career? Have you ever pondered, ‘Maybe could I have won even more’, back at your prime?”

To this, the golf star disclosed in a moment of shocking candor that when he first began playing professional golf, health was not even taken into account. He remarked, “I do wish I had dove in and learned more about nutrition. When I started playing golf though fitness wasn’t even an issue.” “It wasn’t until Tiger came along— he was years behind me—that it really got to be accepted and then got to grow,” he further added.

Mickelson attributed the sport’s change to Woods’s dedication to fitness. He admitted that Dave Phillips and Greg Rose co-founded the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) as a result of the growing popularity of fitness training in golf. Since then, TPI has grown to be an essential component of professional golfers’ training plans, emphasizing injury prevention and routines tailored to the sport. Mickelson further explained, [With] the formation of TPI with Dave Phillips and Greg Rose…we really started to train for golf specific as well as injury prevention. When I started working out with my trainer in 2003, 21 years ago, we went into it with the idea of elongating my career rather than trying to perform great for a short period of time.”  

At the age of 54, Mickelson has remained injury-free, which is uncommon in professional sports. He acknowledged that he could have done more in terms of diet, but he was grateful that he had made the proper choices in terms of his physical conditioning. “I wish I had dived in a little bit more on nutrition—I didn’t. I don’t think it would have led to my winning more or anything, but it sure would have been nice to be accountable for my health at a younger age,” he remarked.

Even though Mickelson praised Woods’s impact on golf’s health culture, he and Woods are no longer on good terms. Despite Woods’s continued support for the PGA Tour, the distance between the two has grown as a result of LIV Golf’s ascent and Mickelson’s contribution to its creation. However, Mickelson’s candid remarks highlight the undeniable impact Woods had not only on his career but on the sport as a whole.

Nonetheless, Mickelson’s open comments demonstrate the indisputable influence Woods had on the sport overall as well as on his career. Even though Mickelson admits that Woods influenced his career, his legacy is defined by his brilliant moments, such as the BellSouth Classic in 2005.

One of the most thrilling events in Phil Mickelson’s remarkable career was the BellSouth Classic in 2005. The 54-hole competition was cut short due to weather-related issues at the TPC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. At 8-under 208, Mickelson was tied with prominent players like Arjun Atwal, Rich Beem, Brandt Jobe, and José María Olazábal.

The playoffs that followed were a test of skill and nerve. Olazábal and Jobe both missed a good chance of hitting birdies to win the championship on the opening playoff hole. One by one, competitors were progressively eliminated as the playoffs went on, enabling Mickelson and Beem to square off. When Beem’s approach failed on the fourth extra hole, Mickelson took advantage of the situation. In the end, his second shot was accurate, falling 15 feet from the pin, allowing him to make a birdie putt with confidence to seal the win.

“I felt like I kind of gave the tournament away,” Mickelson remarked in the aftermath, sounding relieved. “But I was able to somehow hang in there and get lucky.” This triumph demonstrated Mickelson’s tenacity and capacity to perform well under duress in addition to adding another title to his resume.

The 2005 BellSouth Classic is still considered to be one of the most thrilling playoffs in modern golf. It demonstrated the exhilarating, unpredictable nature of golf, where resilience and poise can produce successful results even in the face of overwhelming odds. When taken as a whole, these stories highlight the dynamic and ever-changing path of such legendary golfers.

Daniel Dubois rose from his sickbed and stepped straight into mega-millions negotiations to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

Talk about landing on your feet!

When Dynamite Daniel was medically advised to withdraw from the defence of his IBF title against Joseph Parker he sustained losses in excess of £7million from Saturday’s bonanza purse plus months of expenditure on his training camp.

Oleksandr Usyk recovers to floor and knock out Daniel Dubois in unified  heavyweight title fight | 'Tyson Fury next!' | Boxing News | Sky Sports

JUST IN: Turki Alalshikh hints at Tyson Fury return for blockbuster Anthony Joshua showdown

And the cynics started rumouring that he had ducked Parker!

The credible conversations here in the new fight capital of the world concern a shift from the plan for Usyk to fight the winner between Dubois and Parker.

Now big-time boxing’s Saudi paymasters envisage Dubois and Usyk providing the gala opening in October of the next Riyadh Season of sport, culture and entertainment.

At a stroke overnight a worry that Dubois might be derailed, temporarily at least, from his bid for greatness dissipated.

His promoter Frank Warren made this guarded observation: ‘Perversely, this setback with his illness is opening up more tremendous opportunities for Daniel.’

Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control who sanction these huge promotions in Saudi Arabia and endorsed the diagnosis of swollen glands says: ‘Daniel could not be allowed to box this weekend but oddly this might make it easier for him to secure the fight with Usyk.’

So it seems. The Ukrainian maestro who became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis a quarter century ago came here expecting to watch Dubois and Parker decide which of them he would fight next.

After watching Parker burst the gigantic balloon of Martin Bakole, the last-second replacement for Dubois, Usyk made it clear he would not mind waiting a few months before restoring the IBF belt to his collection and banking another fortune. He said: ‘I am enjoying my rest with my family since beating Tyson (Fury) again (just nine weeks ago).

‘I plan for only two more fights to end my career. Yes, only two. I thought Joseph might win here but if it is to be Daniel next, okay.’

That stands to be their second meeting. Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round in Poland in August 2023, leaving Team Dynamite complaining that a body shot which dropped him earlier in the fight should not have been ruled a low blow.

Parker is the most aggrieved party now. When Dubois pulled out on Thursday he found himself obliged to go through another giant road block instead of fighting for a world title.

Bakole did not arrive from his Congo homeland until Saturday morning and although he would be jet-lagged and massively overweight at well over 300 lbs Parker was advised not to accept this problematic, menacing monster as the replacement.

A proud Samoan warrior in his blood-line, this renascent former world champion Kiwi and one of the most likeable boxers in the hard old game said: ‘To hell with it. I’ll deal with him.’ So he did. Landing a warning salvo from the first bell. Absorbing three or four hefty clubbings. Then bringing Bakole down in round two like King Kong from the top of the Empire State Building. With with a right-hand blow to the top of the temple reminiscent of the so-called Phantom Punch with which Muhammad Ali knocked out the fearsome Sonny Liston in their second fight.

Job brilliantly done, Parker said: ‘Right. So where’s my world title fight now?’ Not against London’s Daniel Boy it appears. But he did raise one important question. Will Usyk v Dubois be for the undisputed title or the unification of three of the four championship belts?

The WBC, WBA and IBF are in unison. But the WBO decided at the weekend that the winner of Dubois and Parker will be the mandatory challenger for their belt. If Parker is to be squeezed out of the main equation, his best recourse will be to fight someone else for what would be the vacant WBO belt.

That is the least he deserves, even it hastens the break-up of the undisputed regime.

Tyson Fury could still return to the ring for a showdown with Anthony Joshua, Turki Alalshikh has revealed.

The Gypsy King announced his retirement from the sport last month aged 36.

Fury ended his career with a professional record of 34-2-1, his final fights seeing him record back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua target date revealed by Turki Alalshikh -  Boxing News - SPORTbible

READ: Anthony Joshua provides cryptic update over his future in boxing – after Brit ‘was NOT considered as a late replacement for Daniel Dubois’

He’s enjoyed a stellar career however, a highly-anticipated bout against Joshua never materialised.

Alalshikh has now hinted the fight could still happen in the future despite Fury hanging up his gloves.

Speaking on Saturday at the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol event, he confirmed he remains hopeful Fury will make a comeback.

Alalshikh told The Stomping Ground, as quoted by Ring Magazine: “I want Joshua vs Tyson… I spoke with (Fury) but not about boxing. I think he maybe will return.”

The hopes are despite Fury telling fans his career was over as recently as January.

In a video shared to social media, the former heavyweight world champion said: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet.

“I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast.

“I’ve loved every single minute of it, and I’m going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. See you all on the other side.”

Meanwhile, Joshua has been out of the ring since suffering his fourth professional loss in September.

The Brit was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in their IBF title bout.

Joshua, who now has a 28-4 record, remains keen to return to action, though.

Having watched ringside as Joseph Parker beat Martin Bakole on Saturday night, he admitted he had been keen to step in to replace Dubois on late notice.

Bakole was beaten on short notice after the IBF champion was forced to withdraw through illness.

Joshua’s hopes of a rematch with Parker were denied by ‘injuries’, however, the 35-year-old confirmed.

Praising Bakole, he told DAZN: “He’s a fighter, that’s what he’s supposed to do. I wanted to step in, I got my injuries.”

Parker, meanwhile, called for a bout with Usyk after his victory at the Kingdom Arena.

The Ukrainian has yet to schedule his next fight after securing a second win over Fury in their rematch in December.

Anthony Joshua gave an intriguing reply when asked about his future in the ring while attending the light heavyweight title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. 

Joshua, 35, made the comments in an interview while was sitting ringside for The Last Crescendo in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

Bivol’s victory over Beterbiev came courtesy of a majority points decision, with the judges scoring the bout 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113 in favour of Bivol.

Anthony Joshua Joseph Parker

READ: Anthony Joshua Shares Honest Reaction To Joseph Parker’s Devastating Stoppage Of Martin Bakole

His win also means he claims the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles as the undisputed champion in his division – avenging his loss to the same opponent back in October.

Prior to the fight, Joshua was asked about his own return to action, having not featured since his loss to Daniel Dubois in the world heavyweight title fight at Wembley last autumn.

When questioned on his future, Joshua said: ‘More fights, this is my life, this is what I do. Right now I sit outside and I watch and then I’ll make my return one day.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1893392753393893805

‘I sit back as a fan and watch the great people in the sport I love.’

His comments come after Joshua was reportedly not considered as a late replacement option for Dubois – who pulled out of his scheduled undercard fight with Joseph Parker due to illness.

While Joshua’s boxing future remains unclear, speculation has increased over his potential retirement from the sport.

This week, promoter Eddie Hearn said he believes that the heavyweight will contest ‘two fights, three fights max’.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Hearn said: ‘The plan and the goal for Anthony Joshua, always, from now to the moment he retires, is to try and win the world heavyweight championship. To try and become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

He added: ‘So, of course, the other fight, which we know at the moment is not available, is Tyson Fury, he wanted that fight.

‘But, if you said to AJ, “what do you want to do most next?” He would say, “I want to fight the winner of Dubois/Parker. I want another shot at a World Heavyweight title.”‘

As a result of the Parker vs Dubois fight not taking place due to the latter’s absence, Parker will have to wat for his chance to become a world champion again.

Joseph Parker’s Saturday fight night was plunged into uncertainty when his slated opponent, Daniel Dubois, pulled out two days before the first bell.

IBF heavyweight champion Dubois suffered an illness which sparked a last-minute scramble for Parker’s team, as well as Saudi Arabian organisers, to find a new challenger for the hotly-anticipated co-main event in Riyadh.

The man who promptly stepped up to the plate is Martin Bakole. At the drop of a hat, the 31-year-old’s week, and potentially the rest of his life, has completely transformed.

Joseph Parker flattens Martin Bakole with dynamite right hand after  short-notice step-in and 3,800-mile flight | talkSPORT

JUST IN: Dmitry Bivol’s Ex-Wife Trends After Rematch Victory Over Artur Beterbiev

According to The Times, Bakole was hard at work clearing a patch of farmland in his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo when he got the call-up to fight Parker. Not long afterwards, he was bundled on a plane and flown to the Middle East.

Bakole and his camp have long complained about being one of the most-avoided fighters in the heavyweight division. He had been preparing for a final eliminator against Efe Ajagba in May, but with the opportunity to compete in the biggest fight of his career landing in his lap, he jumped at the chance to face Parker at just 48 hours’ notice.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It feels like I’m dreaming. I think I will shock the world tomorrow. A boxer is like a soldier. Anytime they ask you to go to war, always be ready, no matter what.”

With his purse estimated to be in the region of £1.6million, Bakole is also on course for a bumper payday. The 6ft 6in slugger, who boasts a professional record of 21 wins and only one defeat, was born in Kananga but moved to the Scottish town of Airdrie in 2016.

His trainer, Billy Nelson, has been singing his praises ever since. “Martin is by far the best fighter I have ever trained,” said the Scot. “He is technically fantastic, naturally gifted, which makes my job a bit easier but the most important part for me is just tweaking some of the areas, fight management and guiding him through. He really is a fast learner.”

Bakole is from good fighting stock. His older brother, Ilunga Makabu, was a world champion at cruiserweight and fought the likes of Tony Bellew and Badou Jack.

Now, Bakole is ready to catapult himself into the big time. The Congolese has sparred with heavyweight big shots like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, while he claims to have caused serious problems for the man he replaced.

“I sparred Daniel Dubois twice and I stopped him twice,” he said. “He knows and his team knows. I would stop him in the first or second round. People are hiding away because they don’t want to fight me.”

The Riyadh Season’s iconic ‘The Last Crescendo’ card has now come and gone. And despite two unfortunate withdrawals from two of the top fights earlier in the week, there’s little debate that the card still delivered.

This was in large part due to the main event between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, which was a rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight championship with Beterbiev’s WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts on the line.

In what was a fantastic and evenly-matched fight, Bivol ultimately did enough to earn the victory according to two judges, making him the new undisputed champion of the world.

Dmitry Bivol's ex-wife wildly celebrates his controversial loss to Artur  Beterbiev and shouts 'karma reached the idiot' | The Sun

JUST IN: VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk turns down Joseph Parker straight away and agrees to another fight

After Bivol came up short during his first bout against Beterbiev in October 2024, a video of his ex-wife celebrating and relishing Bivol suffering defeat during a live stream went extremely viral on social media.

Now that Bivol has exacted revenge on Beterbiev, fans on social media are wondering what Bivol’s ex-wife might be feeling right now.

One X user posted a video of Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn saying, “Hold on, I’m not having this, I’m not having this” with the caption, “Bivol ex wife now #BeterbievBivol2”.

Another fan posted a gif of HBO‘s iconic Sopranos main character Tony Soprano smoking a cigar with the caption, “SMOKING ON THAT DMITRY BIVOL’S EX WIFE PACK”.

“has anyone checked on Dmitry Bivol’s ex wife????” wrote a third along with the initial viral video of her reaction to his first loss.

We would imagine that Bivol’s ex-wife is now like the rest of the boxing community in hoping that there will now be a Bivol vs. Beterviev trilogy fight.

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk dismissed Joseph Parker’s challenge as he set his sights on a different opponent.

Parker stopped Martin Bakole in Saudi Arabia within two rounds to become the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBO title.

The New Zealander had been lined up to fight IBF titleholder Dubois, but the British fighter dropped out last Thursday due to illness. Despite the possibility of rescheduling the bout with Dubois, Parker aimed higher after his win against Bakole, expressing his desire to face the world’s number one heavyweight.

JUST IN: Video Highlight: Dmitry Bivol gets sweet revenge over Artur Beterbiev in second classic to set up potential trilogy

“Who’s next? Can I fight for the world title next? If Usyk wants a dance partner, I’d like to fight for the world title,” he said post-fight.

However, Usyk, who was present at the Riyadh show, declared his preference for Dubois as he aims to re-unify the four major heavyweight championships. He said via Boxing King: “I want the next fight with Daniel Dubois, undisputed.”

When questioned about the potential venue for their rematch, the Ukrainian said: “London, Riyadh Season, doesn’t matter.” He even entertained the thought of fighting at Wembley Stadium, with its near 100,000 boxing capacity, adding confidently: “Yeah, yeah. I’m ready, bro.”

With Dubois currently unburdened by any mandatory defence obligations for his IBF belt, he is free to choose his next opponent, potentially setting the stage for a rematch with Usyk. Their previous encounter in Poland in 2023 ended with Usyk claiming a contentious ninth-round stoppage victory.

Meanwhile, Dubois is set to suffer a “massive financial loss” after pulling out of the Parker fight. His promoter, Frank Warren, said: “If you don’t fight, you don’t get paid; imagine the cost of a training camp, booking places, setting the camp up, bringing the sparring partners in, nutritionists, chefs, trainers, and you don’t get paid.

“It’s a massive loss, you can’t insure it, if you do it costs a fortune to insure. It was an unbelievable purse he was getting for the fight but we are where we are: if you’re not well, you can’t fight.”

“I’m always telling the fighters I don’t want to hear after the event if anything goes wrong that you had a bad hand, or a cold, or your budgie died – none of that matters, you live to fight another day.”

Dmitry Bivol got his revenge over Artur Beterbiev in another thrilling classic to set up a potential third meeting.

Beterbiev and Bivol met in a mouth-watering second instalment of their light-heavyweight rivalry with the undisputed crown on the line again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The former captured the four belts last time out in a modern-era epic, taking the decision on the judges’ scorecards which some in the boxing fraternity viewed as contentious.

READ: Anthony Joshua Shares Honest Reaction To Joseph Parker’s Devastating Stoppage Of Martin Bakole

But slick-moving Bivol got his chance at immediate revenge against the power-punching champion in ‘The Last Crescendo’.

It once again went the full 12-round distance in a captivating and spectacular spectacle, as once again the operators proved near impossible to separate.

But a winner was declared by majority decision, with Bivol this time getting his revenge.

The scores were read out at 116-116, while the two scorecards were in his favour at 116-112 and 115-113.

He now becomes the undisputed king taking Beterbiev’s belts, and there are now widespread calls for the pair to do battle for a third time.

The atmosphere came alive in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as both Beterbiev and Bivol were once again set to treat the crowd to what promised to be a barnstorming classic.

Bivol had started the more positive in their last showdown, and he looked to do the same with a stiff lead left jab tapping away early on.

Beterbiev is notorious for his aggression and crunching power, and he patiently stalked Bivol while taking centre ring, looking to gain early access through the guard.

He looked to let the famous right hand go and it landed in spells, but Bivol had started well and was able to land counter combinations in the southpaw stance.

The third round was boxed at a more frantic pace, as Bivol looked to duck and dive from the ferocious power punches of Beterbiev but the pair lit up the arena in huge exchanges.

It appeared to send the fight bursting into life with the promoters including Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh drawn to their feet.

Pressure came from the champion as he teed off at a frightening tempo with Bivol circling and trying to stay out of range in the fourth and fifth.

The tides were turning in the favour of Beterbiev with Bivol slowing his footwork and taking some heavy artillery.

But Bivol continued to try and plug away and the champion had some marking appear on his right eye as things burst into life again before the midway point.

And his feet were picked up and he got his fluid style back up and running in the eighth, boxing well and taking the sting back out of Beterbiev’s flow.

It was again a difficult contest to score with both fighters having their success in waves, with two of the sport’s best pound-for-pound operators again producing a war.

Bivol was coming on the stronger late on as the championship rounds approached, with Beterbiev appearing the slightly more fatigued of the two great warriors.

But it was still a frightening high-level spectacle, and a huge roar went up again as the bell sounded for the final period.

Despite his titanic efforts, Beterbiev and Bivol’s faces both looked battered and the latter suffered a cut late on as the champion turned the screw.

But it wasn’t enough as Bivol got his revenge in simply incredible fashion, making the fight 1-1 between the two epic rivals.

Anthony Joshua has given his immediate reaction to Joseph Parker stopping Martin Bakole in two rounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bakole valiantly stepped in on two days’ notice to save the card’s co-main event when IBF Heavyweight World Champion Daniel Dubois took unwell.

Despite the lack of proper training camp, many in the sport backed Bakole to spring the upset due to his heavy hands. Parker was unfazed by the addition of a different big puncher in the opposite corner, and he was willing to trade with Bakole to prove it.

That paid off in round two when he landed an overhand right that shook Bakole and saw him stumble and fall off balance. Trainer Billy Nelson was quick to throw in the towel, seeing his man hurt and perhaps aware that the last minute travel had taken its toll.

Speaking on the DAZN broadcast, Joshua – who beat Parker to unify the heavyweight belts back in 2018 – had nothing but praise for his former rival and used his performance as an example as to how fortunes can turn.Joseph Parker

“I don’t just look at the fights that Parker’s had recently. The journey of Joseph Parker is one to be studied. How he’s risen to the top of the game, a slight setback – and in boxing you know how detrimental that is – and it takes a real man, a real man of courage and discipline, to come back and compete for the championship once again.

“He rose to the occasion. Credit to him and his team because he’s done an amazing job tonight.”

Parker said post-fight that he will fight anyone, and nobody will dare question that after beating three of the division’s biggest punchers in Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Bakole on the bounce.

Martin Bakole replaced Daniel Dubois suddenly, but Joseph Parker dispatched him in two rounds before the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch for undisputed light-heavyweight title;

Joseph Parker took just two rounds to knock out Martin Bakole, a top-tier heavyweight who came in at the shortest possible notice to replace Daniel Dubois, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.

Bakole was attempting a feat that was surely without precedent in the sport. When Daniel Dubois, the IBF world champion, fell ill just two days before he was due to fight Parker, Bakole decided to replace him.

Travelling from Kinshasa in the DR Congo, Bakole landed in Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday morning to take on Parker, another world-ranked heavyweight, later that night for the latter’s WBO Interim title.

Parker jabbed diligently at the 310lb behemoth. But Bakole cuffed him with a hard right just before the end of the first round.Joseph Parker

The two tapped gloves respectfully and then Bakole allowed himself a brief moment of celebration. He liked his start.

Fighting in gloves borrowed from Dubois, Bakole marched after Parker in the second round.

There were hints of danger from Bakole as he heaved punches at the body, then the head.

Bakole demonstrably shook off the New Zealander’s cross and came for him.

But Parker then bowled over his right. It clipped Bakole high on the head. That robbed him of his balance, his legs shivered out from under him and Bakole toppled over.

Bakole used the ropes to heave himself upright, but the referee would not let him continue, ruling him out at 2:17 of the second round.

“Martin Bakole, thank you for accepting the challenge of flying all the way here on short notice and giving me a good fight,” Parker said afterwards.

“I stayed calm, structured, composed and got the victory.

“I’m fit, strong, healthy and sharp. Andy Lee broke it down for me, I had to be patient.”

The WBO Interim belt means he should be the mandatory challenger for their world title, held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“How can I fight for the world title next?” he declared. “If Usyk wants a dance partner. I want to fight for a world title, I want to be champion of the world again.”

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