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Martin Bakole and Ilunga Makabu: Brothers in boxing
Heavyweight contender Martin Bakole will take on another prospect in Efe Ajagba on the 3rd of May on the Canelo vs Scull undercard.
The self-proclaimed ‘most avoided’ heavyweight will be looking to get back on track after a second-round knockout loss to Joseph Parker in February on two days’ notice.
But what many don’t know is that Bakole’s boxing inspiration is his older brother, Ilunga Makabu, the former WBC cruiserweight champion.
Their difference in name has kept their relation relatively unknown throughout their careers, but who are the brothers and how did they both end up as elite level boxers?
Who is Ilunga Makabu?
Makabu’s professional boxing record stands at 30-4 (26 knockouts). Born in Kananga, the capital of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Makabu left home at the age of twenty and ended up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He was taken under the wing of the late famous trainer Nick Durandt who helped him turn professional in 2008. The 37-year-old still trains with Durandt’s son, Damien.
Makabu had an early set-back, losing his debut by first round TKO. He rebounded with a string of nineteen back-to-back victories, winning all but one by knockout and collecting the WBC Silver and International titles along the way.
It was a trip to Merseyside for the biggest fight of Makabu’s career – facing Liverpudlian boxing legend, Tony Bellew, for the vacant WBC cruiserweight belt at Goodison Park in 2016. A loss by third-round knockout after dropping Bellew in the first sent the Congolese knockout artist back to the drawing board.
A fight in Kinshasa, billed as ‘Rumble in the Jungle II’, saw Makabu defeat Michal Cieslak over twelve rounds to claim the WBC cruiserweight title in 2020. He successfully defended his belt twice before losing it in a twelfth-round stoppage to current champion Badou Jack in 2023.
The former champion would get a shot at reclaiming his cruiserweight throne later that year after Jack vacated his belt. The South African-based fighter lost by a third-round knockout to Noel Mikaelian and has since only fought once, in a fight held in Kinshasa.
Martin Bakole: The not-so-little brother
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Standing at 6ft 6in and weighing more than 250lbs, it is hard to see anything little about Bakole. He currently holds a record of 21-2 (sixteen knockouts) and is based in Airdrie, Scotland, via The Congo and South Africa.
Bakole credits his older brother as the reason he left home. Makabu called him and told him to come to South Africa and train with him – which led to him accompanying his brother to Liverpool for his world title fight against Tony Bellew.
Citing that the heavyweight game in South Africa was not where he wanted it to be at that time, he decided the UK was the right place for him and asked if his promoter could find him a fight.
"I went there, but boxing in South Africa is down at the moment in the heavyweights," Bakole told Queensberry Promotions. "I decided to come here because my brother was fighting Tony Bellew for the WBC world title, which he lost in 2016. I told him then that I wanted to stay because, for me, boxing is now here in the UK."
After being sent to Scotland for sparring, Bakole met his current trainer Billy Nelson for the first time. The 31-year-old is now settled in Airdrie and has been training under Nelson since 2016.
Their partnership has been a successful one, with Bakole winning sixteen of his eighteen fights whilst being based in Scotland. He most recently lost to Joseph Parker for the WBO interim heavyweight title.
Bakole will now be hoping to reestablish himself in the heavyweight division, continuing his journey on the path first carved by his older brother. Their shared pursuit of boxing success - though often unrecognised as a family affair - has shaped two elite careers across different weight classes.
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