Anderson vs Bakole Predictions: Expect a brilliant battle of the big men

Jared Anderson takes on Martin Bakole at the SMO Arena in Los Angeles this Saturday, August 3. This heavyweight collision takes place on the first Stateside Riyadh Season card, headlined by Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov. DAZN PPV will broadcast the event. 

Here are my Anderson vs Bakole predictions ahead of this big-hitting battle.

Turki Alalshikh loves a heavyweight showdown. The Saudi Minister who has overseen much of the Riyadh Season boxing output has form for pitting boxing’s big men against each other. Every card under his authority is loaded with clashes between high-profile heavies.

This fight is no different as Anderson and Bakole risk their world rankings against each other. Bakole is rated by all four major sanctioning bodies, including a number-one spot with the WBA. Anderson also appears in all four rankings, with his highest position a number-four slot with the WBO. 

Tyson Fury is set to challenge WBO, WBA and WBC champion Oleksandr Usyk in a December rematch, Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua fights for Daniel Dubois’ IBF belt next month. This means that a genuine title might be a long time coming even for the winner of this bout. But both men do have peripheral opportunities in their pursuit of the big one.

The WBA farcically has Mahmoud Charr as their ‘regular’ champion, a designation he won back in a courtroom after being stripped for inactivity. The WBO also currently recognises an ‘interim’ champion in the form of Joseph Parker. The winner of this fight could easily find themselves matched for one of these secondary belts should they win on Saturday.

But ultimately a good fight does not need a belt and this scrap is no exception. A match-up of in-form heavyweights, the added element of punch power which both men bring in spades makes for a mouthwatering clash.

Anderson will likely be grateful to face an opponent who wants to be there. In April he faced Ryad Merhy, the former WBA cruiserweight champion, in a bizarre bout. The Frenchman spent the entire 10 rounds in survival mode, barely engaging with ‘The Real Big Baby’. Anderson did what was necessary and took a wide unanimous decision for his troubles. But the bout was not fulfilling as a test for the young heavyweight.

Bakole will do more to provide such tribulation, one would think. The Congolese puncher is 20-1 with wins over notables like Kevin Johnson, Sergey Kuzmin and Tony Yoka. His profile has been boosted by a knockout win over former world title challenger Carlos Takam on the undercard of Fury vs Francis Ngannou last October.

Anderson has been steadily increasing the quality of his opposition. Merhy was supposed to be a better test, given the fact he was a world champion as recently as 2021. But ex-IBF heavyweight champ Charles Martin and renowned gatekeeper Andriy Rudenko tested his mettle. 

Now Bakole represents a step-up in class for Anderson. While he has never held a version of the world title as Martin and Merhy had, he is an ambitious fighter in his prime. Bakole is not coming to Los Angeles to lose. This is a high-quality meeting of heavyweights with tangible world title ambitions.

Anderson vs Bakole Fight Odds

Bakole comes into this fight in a position he is unaccustomed to; that of the underdog. He is 6/4 to win here. Anderson is the favourite at 4/7 while a draw is priced at 16/1.

Anderson vs Bakole Full Card

Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov; For the WBO interim super welterweight title and Madrimov's WBA super welterweight title 

Andy Ruiz vs. Jarrell Miller; Heavyweight 

Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole; Heavyweight 

Isaac Cruz vs. Jose Venezuela; For Cruz's WBA super lightweight title 

David Morrell vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic; Light heavyweight 

Andy Cruz vs. Antonio Moran; Lightweight 

Steve Nelson vs. Marcos Ramon Vazquez; Super middleweight 

Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Michal Bulk; Welterweight

Anderson vs Bakole Prediction

I think this fight is going to be something to behold while it lasts. Expect plenty of heavy leather being thrown and landed. Ultimately, I think Anderson has more sophistication in his work than Bakole. He is faster and sharper, while Bakole relies on blunt-force trauma.

I am backing Anderson to wrap this one up by knockout. If you agree, you can get 15/8 on a KO win for ‘The Real Big Baby’.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.