Joseph Parker at heaviest weight of career ahead of Martin Bakole showdown

Published: Feb 21, 2025

Joseph Parker officially weighed in at 267lbs on Friday, one day prior to his WBO interim heavyweight title defence against Martin Bakole.

Bakole replaced Parker's original opponent for Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo, IBF champion Daniel Dubois, on just two days' notice and, as of Friday's weigh-ins, had not yet arrived in Saudi Arabia. It's a situation that puts the new challenger at an extreme disadvantage, and Parker's new weight cuts down one of Bakole's big known advantages.

Having weighed 250lbs or less for his last five fights, Parker tips the scales at the largest he's ever been in his professional career. This may prove helpful against Bakole, one of boxing's heaviest fighters who fought Carlos Takam at a shade under 300lbs in 2023 before dropping 15 pounds for his 2024 victory over Jared Anderson.

While it won't completely close the gap and will not take away from Bakole's fearsome power, Parker's new physical stature gives his newfound opponent one more thing to worry about.

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