I think Kabayel wins on points. Bakole has size and power but that's it. Kabayel is faster, has better movement, better defence and will out work and out hustle Bakole, much like how Hunter did. Kabayel is just better all round.
In a recent interview Billy Nelson said they're currently in talks regarding a big fight for Bakole and I got the impression it might be Kabayel. He said the big sexy Chinese man doesn't want the Bakole smoke so it was someone else.
Bakole points Kabayel would work away to the body but I don’t see his shots having much effect and I can see him trying to hold a lot and making it a scruffy fight.
bakole knocks him out with big uppercuts and brutal combinations. kabayel got rescued by referee a few fights ago against agron smakici. if the ref did the right thing in that fight we would be talking about this matchup differently
How much of an issue was Bakoles shoulder really in his loss to Hunter. If it was legitimately bad we almost might as well consider him undefeated. I can’t remember it was a while ago. Kabayel is a good fighter, I have picked against him a few times and came up short lol. Id probably pick Bakole with a gun to my head. I’d probably be wrong again it’s a 50/50 for me.
I like Kabayel I really do. But Sanchez and Makhmudov were both not solidified Top 10 contenders. Also Sanchez had that knee injury and I believe there were rumors Makhmudov had been injured as well. Those might be excuses but still. Kabayel needs a fight against a certified dangerous opponent like Zhang or Bakole. Kabayel does have very nice combinations to the body. But Bakole showed some well timed body punches against Anderson as well. Kabayel is not as tall though. The thing with Bakole is I am not trusting him to come in prepared like his last fight every single time. He didn’t look good against Hunter. Like you said he had that shoulder injury. It would be a good stylistic matchup I think and show what they are each really made of.
