It wasn't the opponent Joseph Parker was planning to face two days ago, but it was still a good night for one of the heavyweight division's top contenders.
The New Zealander defeated short-notice opponent Martin Bakole with a second-round TKO in the co-main event of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 card in Riyadh.
The fight ended in slow motion. Parker looked strong in the first round, then landed a temple shot on Bakole that staggered the Congolese fighter, then knocked him down. Bakole's corner waved the towel rather than let him re-enter the fight.
The co-main event was initially announced as Parker against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, but that plan went out the window on Thursday when Dubois was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed medical issues.
The turn of events would have been a devastating blow for what was supposed to be the "greatest boxing card of all time," had they not had a capable backup in Bakole. Considered by many to be the boogeyman of the heavyweight division, Bakole was the fighter no contender wanted to face due to a punching power that could end a fight in a second, but Parker agreed to face him.
Bakole entered the fight under obvious constraints. He didn't arrive in Riyadh until Friday and weighed in unofficially at 315 pounds, 30 pounds heavier than his weight in his previous match against Jared Anderson. He was carrying a visible amount of extra weight and in the wrong phase of his training, but he still delivered intrigue to a reeling card that also lost Floyd Schofield in the previous fight.