Martin Bakole
Updated: 12/11/2025, 8:03:15 AM Wikipedia source
Martin Bakole Ilunga (born 1 June 1993) is a Congolese professional boxer. He has challenged once for the WBO interim heavyweight title in February 2025. He is the younger brother of former cruiserweight boxing world champion, Ilunga Makabu.
Infobox
Nickname
Martin Makabu Bakole
Nationality
Congolese
Born
Martin Bakole Ilunga (1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 32)Kananga, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Height
6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight
Heavyweight
Reach
82 in (208 cm)
Stance
Orthodox
Total fights
24
Wins
21
Win by KO
16
Losses
2
Draws
1
Tables
· Professional boxing record
By knockout
By knockout
24 fights
By knockout
21 wins
16
2 losses
2
By decision
By decision
24 fights
By decision
21 wins
5
2 losses
0
Draws
Draws
24 fights
Draws
21 wins
1
| 24 fights | 21 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 16 | 2 |
| By decision | 5 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
· Professional boxing record
24
24
No.
24
Result
Draw
Record
21–2–1
Opponent
Efe Ajagba
Type
MD
Round, time
10
Date
3 May 2025
Location
Anb Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
23
23
No.
23
Result
Loss
Record
21–2
Opponent
Joseph Parker
Type
TKO
Round, time
2 (12) 2:15
Date
22 Feb 2025
Location
Anb Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Notes
For WBO interim heavyweight title
22
22
No.
22
Result
Win
Record
21–1
Opponent
Jared Anderson
Type
KO
Round, time
5 (10) 2:07
Date
3 Aug 2024
Location
BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Notes
Won WBO International and vacant WBC-NABF heavyweight titles
21
21
No.
21
Result
Win
Record
20–1
Opponent
Carlos Takam
Type
TKO
Round, time
4 (10), 2:15
Date
28 Oct 2023
Location
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
20
20
No.
20
Result
Win
Record
19–1
Opponent
Ihor Shevadzutskyi
Type
TKO
Round, time
3 (10), 0:45
Date
22 Apr 2023
Location
G2A Arena, Rzeszów, Poland
19
19
No.
19
Result
Win
Record
18–1
Opponent
Tony Yoka
Type
MD
Round, time
10
Date
14 May 2022
Location
Accor Arena, Paris, France
18
18
No.
18
Result
Win
Record
17–1
Opponent
Haruna Osumanu
Type
KO
Round, time
1 (10), 2:50
Date
18 Sep 2021
Location
Dubai Sports City, Dubai, UAE
17
17
No.
17
Result
Win
Record
16–1
Opponent
Sergey Kuzmin
Type
UD
Round, time
10
Date
12 Dec 2020
Location
The SSE Arena, London, England
Notes
Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title
16
16
No.
16
Result
Win
Record
15–1
Opponent
Rodney Hernandez
Type
TKO
Round, time
2 (10), 2:50
Date
2 Nov 2019
Location
Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
15
15
No.
15
Result
Win
Record
14–1
Opponent
Kevin Johnson
Type
TKO
Round, time
5 (8), 0:58
Date
19 Oct 2019
Location
Utilita Arena, Newcastle, England
14
14
No.
14
Result
Win
Record
13–1
Opponent
Ytalo Perea
Type
TKO
Round, time
1 (8), 1:20
Date
2 Aug 2019
Location
Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Liverpool, England
13
13
No.
13
Result
Win
Record
12–1
Opponent
Mariusz Wach
Type
TKO
Round, time
8 (10), 2:26
Date
6 Apr 2019
Location
Spodek, Katowice, Poland
Notes
Won vacant Republic of Poland International heavyweight title
12
12
No.
12
Result
Loss
Record
11–1
Opponent
Michael Hunter
Type
TKO
Round, time
10 (10), 2:19
Date
13 Oct 2018
Location
York Hall, London, England
Notes
For vacant IBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title
11
11
No.
11
Result
Win
Record
11–0
Opponent
DL Jones
Type
TKO
Round, time
1 (10), 1:02
Date
23 Jun 2018
Location
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Notes
Retained IBO Continental heavyweight title
10
10
No.
10
Result
Win
Record
10–0
Opponent
Ali Baghouz
Type
KO
Round, time
1 (10), 2:23
Date
11 Nov 2017
Location
Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Notes
Won vacant IBO Continental heavyweight title
9
9
No.
9
Result
Win
Record
9–0
Opponent
Kamil Sokolowski
Type
PTS
Round, time
6
Date
7 Oct 2017
Location
York Hall, London, England
8
8
No.
8
Result
Win
Record
8–0
Opponent
Dominic Akinlade
Type
TKO
Round, time
1 (6), 1:56
Date
29 Jul 2017
Location
Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
7
7
No.
7
Result
Win
Record
7–0
Opponent
Tomas Mrazek
Type
TKO
Round, time
3 (6), 1:32
Date
1 Oct 2016
Location
Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
6
6
No.
6
Result
Win
Record
6–0
Opponent
Lukasz Rusiewicz
Type
PTS
Round, time
4
Date
12 Aug 2016
Location
Village Hotel, Ashton-under-Lyne, England
5
5
No.
5
Result
Win
Record
5–0
Opponent
Patrick Madzinga
Type
TKO
Round, time
1 (6)
Date
12 Dec 2015
Location
Olive Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa
4
4
No.
4
Result
Win
Record
4–0
Opponent
Ferenc Zsalek
Type
MD
Round, time
4
Date
5 Dec 2014
Location
Centre Sportif Obercorn, Differdange, Luxembourg
3
3
No.
3
Result
Win
Record
3–0
Opponent
Lukas Filka
Type
KO
Round, time
1 (4), 2:55
Date
8 Nov 2014
Location
Hall Omnisport de La Préalle, Herstal, Belgium
2
2
No.
2
Result
Win
Record
2–0
Opponent
Chris Mbombo
Type
TKO
Round, time
2 (4)
Date
23 Apr 2014
Location
Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
1
1
No.
1
Result
Win
Record
1–0
Opponent
Cecil Smith
Type
TKO
Round, time
2 (4)
Date
25 Mar 2014
Location
Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 24 | Draw | 21–2–1 | Efe Ajagba | MD | 10 | 3 May 2025 | Anb Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |
| 23 | Loss | 21–2 | Joseph Parker | TKO | 2 (12) 2:15 | 22 Feb 2025 | Anb Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | For WBO interim heavyweight title |
| 22 | Win | 21–1 | Jared Anderson | KO | 5 (10) 2:07 | 3 Aug 2024 | BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Won WBO International and vacant WBC-NABF heavyweight titles |
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Carlos Takam | TKO | 4 (10), 2:15 | 28 Oct 2023 | Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Ihor Shevadzutskyi | TKO | 3 (10), 0:45 | 22 Apr 2023 | G2A Arena, Rzeszów, Poland | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Tony Yoka | MD | 10 | 14 May 2022 | Accor Arena, Paris, France | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Haruna Osumanu | KO | 1 (10), 2:50 | 18 Sep 2021 | Dubai Sports City, Dubai, UAE | |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Sergey Kuzmin | UD | 10 | 12 Dec 2020 | The SSE Arena, London, England | Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Rodney Hernandez | TKO | 2 (10), 2:50 | 2 Nov 2019 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Kevin Johnson | TKO | 5 (8), 0:58 | 19 Oct 2019 | Utilita Arena, Newcastle, England | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Ytalo Perea | TKO | 1 (8), 1:20 | 2 Aug 2019 | Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Liverpool, England | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Mariusz Wach | TKO | 8 (10), 2:26 | 6 Apr 2019 | Spodek, Katowice, Poland | Won vacant Republic of Poland International heavyweight title |
| 12 | Loss | 11–1 | Michael Hunter | TKO | 10 (10), 2:19 | 13 Oct 2018 | York Hall, London, England | For vacant IBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | DL Jones | TKO | 1 (10), 1:02 | 23 Jun 2018 | The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | Retained IBO Continental heavyweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Ali Baghouz | KO | 1 (10), 2:23 | 11 Nov 2017 | Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland | Won vacant IBO Continental heavyweight title |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Kamil Sokolowski | PTS | 6 | 7 Oct 2017 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Dominic Akinlade | TKO | 1 (6), 1:56 | 29 Jul 2017 | Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Tomas Mrazek | TKO | 3 (6), 1:32 | 1 Oct 2016 | Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Lukasz Rusiewicz | PTS | 4 | 12 Aug 2016 | Village Hotel, Ashton-under-Lyne, England | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Patrick Madzinga | TKO | 1 (6) | 12 Dec 2015 | Olive Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Ferenc Zsalek | MD | 4 | 5 Dec 2014 | Centre Sportif Obercorn, Differdange, Luxembourg | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Lukas Filka | KO | 1 (4), 2:55 | 8 Nov 2014 | Hall Omnisport de La Préalle, Herstal, Belgium | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Chris Mbombo | TKO | 2 (4) | 23 Apr 2014 | Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Cecil Smith | TKO | 2 (4) | 25 Mar 2014 | Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa |
References
- BoxRechttp://boxrec.com/en/boxer/681602
- The Ringhttps://www.ringtv.com/545542-new-faces-martin-bakole/
- Boxing Monthlyhttps://www.boxingmonthly.com/stories/coming-to-airdrie-martin-bakole-interview/
- DAZNhttps://www.dazn.com/en-GLOBAL/news/boxing/tony-yoka-vs-martin-bakole-date-fight-time-tv-channel-and-live-stream/7wtipct0l9sh1qhvylvs5ptze
- BoxingScene.comhttps://www.boxingscene.com/martin-ilunga-targets-tony-bellew-i-want-avenge-my-brother--119042
- boxrec.comhttps://boxrec.com/en/event/688038/1876303
- boxrec.comhttps://boxrec.com/en/event/757509/2193056
- boxrec.comhttps://boxrec.com/en/event/768786/2259373
- BoxingScene.comhttps://www.boxingscene.com/michael-hunter-dramatic-knockout-martin-bakole-results--132722
- The Ringhttps://www.ringtv.com/545687-michael-hunter-stops-martin-bakole-in-the-closing-seconds-of-heavyweight-slugfest/
- BoxingScene.comhttps://www.boxingscene.com/martin-bakole-batters-stops-mariusz-wach-eight--137727
- Boxing News 24https://www.boxingnews24.com/2019/04/martin-bakole-ilunga-stops-mariusz-wach-results/
- boxrec.comhttps://boxrec.com/en/event/791683/2371655
- Sky Sportshttps://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/11836847/ritson-vs-davies-jr-kevin-johnson-comes-in-to-face-martin-bakole
- BoxingScene.comhttps://www.boxingscene.com/ritson-davies-live-results-martin-bakole-stops-kevin-johnson--143508
- Sky Sportshttps://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/11840016/davies-jr-vs-ritson-martin-bakole-stops-kevin-johnson-in-the-fifth-round-in-newcastle
- https://www.rfi.fr/fr/sports/20240104-boxe-le-congolais-martin-bakole-nouveau-num%C3%A9ro-un-mondial-des-poids-lourds-wbhttps://www.rfi.fr/fr/sports/20240104-boxe-le-congolais-martin-bakole-nouveau-num%C3%A9ro-un-mondial-des-poids-lourds-wba
- FIGHTMAGhttps://www.fightmag.com/jared-anderson-vs-martin-bakole-joins-crawford-madrimov-card-eminem-to-perform/
- FIGHTMAGhttps://www.fightmag.com/martin-bakole-drops-jared-anderson-three-times-stops-in-fifth-round/
- Tapologyhttps://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/884033-crawford-vs-madrimov-jared-the-real-big-baby-anderson-vs-martin-bakole
- FIGHTMAGhttps://www.fightmag.com/martin-bakole-faces-joseph-parker-after-daniel-dubois-falls-ill/
- ESPN.comhttps://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/43937599/daniel-dubois-doubt-joseph-parker-fight-illness
- www.boxingscene.comhttps://www.boxingscene.com/joseph-parker-will-now-fight-martin-bakole-following-daniel-dubois-withdrawal--205412
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/articles/c0jgw06yjwpo
- The Journalhttps://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/18923927.african-prince-plans-scottish-heavyweight-king/