- BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom says Martin Bakole is still under contract with his company and that he found out about Bakole vs Solomon Adebayo at the same time as the public
- Shalom says the matter has been referred to BOXXER's lawyers, and he suspects Dana White's Zuffa Boxing is behind the fight on the 11 December card in Cardiff
- My view: this gets settled with a cheque before fight night, Bakole boxes in Cardiff and he beats Adebayo inside the distance
Bakole: The BOXXER Row
Right then, that did not take long. On Wednesday we learned that Martin Bakole would face Solomon Adebayo on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua card at the Principality Stadium on 11 December. By Thursday night, BOXXER boss Ben Shalom was saying the big man is still his fighter.
Shalom's position is simple. He says Bakole remains under contract with BOXXER, that he found out about the fight at the same time as everyone else, and that the whole thing has now been handed to his lawyers. Make no mistake, that is a serious escalation a month out from the biggest night of the year.
Why Bakole Has Been Out So Long
The Congolese heavyweight has not boxed since a draw in May 2025. A proposed fight with Guido Vianello on Oleksandr Usyk's May card in Egypt fell through, and Shalom says his man turned down several offers in the meantime. Eighteen months is a long time out for a heavyweight who should be in the title mix, and you can understand why he jumped at a slot in Cardiff.
Zuffa In The Firing Line Again
Shalom believes Dana White and Zuffa Boxing are behind the booking. White is reported to have played a big part in putting the undercard together, even though he is contractually barred from promoting the Cardiff show. The other new additions, Da'Mazion Vanhouter vs Michael Essomba and Jai Opetaia vs Deontay Wilder, both involve Zuffa fighters.
This is not the first time BOXXER and Zuffa have clashed. Shalom's company was reported in June to be suing Zuffa over the alleged poaching of fighters including Chris Billam-Smith. So this Bakole row is round two of a fight that has been brewing all year.
What It Means For Adebayo
Adebayo already has a fight booked in Nairobi on 28 November, and that one may now be cancelled to make way for Cardiff. If the fight collapses, he could be left with nothing. That would be rough on him.
My Verdict On The Bakole Row
Let's not beat around the bush. Nobody wants a court case holding up a stadium card, and I expect this to be settled the way these things usually are, with a cheque and a handshake. Bakole fights in Cardiff.
And when he does, I think he is levels above Adebayo. He is huge, he is a proper heavyweight and, ring rust aside, he stops Adebayo inside six rounds. The legal row is the bigger fight here, and I reckon Shalom gets paid.