Martin Bakole is winning inside the ring, but the same isn’t true outside the ring! The WBA has ordered the Congolese fighter to take on Cassius Chaney in a title eliminator fight. It will determine the mandatory challenger. The update comes after Bakole became the NO. 1 contender in October by defeating Carlos Takam in the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight. Yet, the prize money wasn’t enough!

The 20-1 boxer launched a GoFundMe campaign to gather $100,000 to prepare for his next bout. However, all he got was a backlash from his fellow countrymen. It’s worth mentioning that the Congolese Government had given Bakole $100,000 for a prior bout that never transpired. This resulted in the subsequent backlash. Regardless of whether he can scrounge up the money for training camp, he has to follow the directive from the WBA.

The fight is to produce a mandatory challenger, but for whom?

Earlier today, Michael Benson turned to X (formerly Twitter) to break the news to his followers. The online editor for talkSport wrote, “The WBA have now officially ordered Martin Bakole vs. Cassius Chaney as a final eliminator to become their next mandatory challenger.” Notably, both parties have thirty days to negotiate a deal between themselves. 

However, Benson informed that the sanctioning body failed to mention who the mandatory challenge would be against. Oleksandr Usyk currently holds the WBA Super heavyweight title and is geared to face Tyson Fury on 17 February with that and his other titles on the line. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Char has been reinstated as the WBA regular title holder and will defend it against Kubrat Pulev in March. With that out of the way, here’s what Bakole said after receiving backlash from his countrymen.

Martin Bakole issues a threat!

Being the WBA No.1 contender in the heavyweight division, no less, and being broke don’t go together. So, when Bakole launched his GoFundMe, besides criticisms, many had trolled him for begging for money. According to WBN, after discovering all the criticism and hate from his own people, the WBA No. 1 contender issued some threats.

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“If someone insults me ​​again, we will see each other. Some of you will cover your faces like that when I come to Kinshasa. Let’s see if you will insult me ​​in the face,” Bakole said in a live social media video. He further added, “From now on, I will respond to all insults. When I return from the country, I will wait to see if these insults [are said] in my face, and we will see.”

While Martin Bakole is grappling with financial issues and failed GoFundMe campaigns, the news from the WBA must not sound so great. However, if he manages to win the eliminator–he stands to fight in a big money event that could resolve all his money problems. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!

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