'Said it was crazy!' - Andy Lee vindicated by Martin Bakole decision after Joseph Parker victory

Andy Lee felt vindicated in Joseph Parker's decision to take Martin Bakole on at short notice after the New Zealander delivered a superb second-round stoppage victory.

The former WBO world champion had been left in the lurch at Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo after Daniel Dubois was forced to withdraw at shot notice on Thursday.

• Read more | Relive all the action from Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo as Dmitry Bivol and Joseph Parker triumph

That left Congolese fighter Bakole, one of the most fearsome prospects coming through the heavyweight division, to step into the void and the ring on Saturday night.

After just two bruising rounds, Parker managed to drop his foe and earn another victory, with trainer Lee delighted to see the gamble pay off after a madcap few days.

"It could have been a hard fight, and it was turning into a hard fight," he told The Stomping Ground. "But that punch showed he could knock out any heavyweight.

"What a punch. [The extra weight was about] just having that bit of power. What a great fight. I'm so happy for Joe. It's been a crazy 48 hours.

"I don't think many would have put up with it, turning up to a press conference and finding out on social media that Daniel Dubois was sick.

"We didn't know if we had a fight or not. He wanted the biggest challenge. It's easy on reflection now, but everybody before this said it was crazy for Joe to take this fight."

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