The newly promoted number one WBA heavyweight has opened a GoFundMe page to help him reach his championship dream.
Martin Bakole, who overtook Deontay Wilder with the World Boxing Association after “The Bronze Bomber” lost to Joseph Parker, entered the New Year with a plea to his fans.
Heavyweight Martin Bakole opens GoFundMe page
Entitled “Help me to achieve my dream of becoming world champ,” Bakole seeks $125,000 for the rest of his journey. However, many question the move after Bakole fought in Saudi Arabia on October 28.
The Scottish-based Congan was part of the lucrative Fury vs Ngannou bill topped by two superstars of combat. This led fans to predict Bakole may have been hacked.
The page reads: “Hi, my name is Martin Bakole. I’m asking my beloved sisters and brothers to help.”
If there’s no hack – which is not confirmed as of the early hours of Tuesday, the comments section and donations won’t be good reading for Bakole and his team.
In addition, the page hasn’t taken off. There was only $40 pledged in the first few hours of the page going live.
Hacked or not?
Bakole’s name has since appeared as giving $25 to himself. This, of course, could be someone else posing as Bakole, though.
Whether his paycheck from Saudi Arabia wasn’t good enough or someone hacked him, Bakole will have some explaining to do after his impressive win.
Defeating Carlos Takam in four rounds last week, Bakole is on the verge of becoming the mandatory WBA contender. He could face the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk in 2025.
Upon hearing the news, Bakole said: “Finally, number one baby. Be prepared, boys. Martin is coming.”
Holding a 20-1 record, Bakole’s stoppage loss to Michael Hunter remains the solitary blemish on his CV. Wins over Olympic champion Tony Yoka and Takam helped elevate Bakole to the summit with the WBA.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
