Martin Bakole has already shown the boxing world his frightening punching power.

The fast-rising Congolese star is gearing up for the biggest fight of his life on Saturday in Saudi Arabia on just two days’ notice.

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He will replace Daniel Dubois, who was deemed medically unfit to compete by doctors, and fight Joseph Parker in the co-main event of the card billed as ‘The Last Crescendo’.

Dubois was set to defend his IBF heavyweight title against Parker in the event headlined by Artur Beterbiev’s sequel with Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight titles.

But with Dubois officially ruled out during a chaotic press conference in Riyadh on Thursday, Bakole will step in to take his place in the chief support slot, with the WBO ‘Interim’ world title on the line.

Parker is a clear favourite among bookmakers considering theunusual set of circumstances, but Bakole knows how to cause an upset.

In his last fight, the 31-year-old shocked Jared Anderson, sending him crashing through the ropes twice.

Anderson went into the bout as the clear favourite, before a textbook right uppercut from Bakole floored the American heavyweight for the first time in his career.

Bakole then ended his opponent’s run as America’s top heavyweight hope by putting him down twice more and stopping the fight with a devastating fifth-round knockout.

For boxing fans unfamiliar with Bakole’s game, his fight with Anderson could prove a sign of things to come.

“I told you from the beginning I’m a machine,” Bakole said after a brutal closing sequence in Los Angeles, where a crushing left uppercut followed by a straight right hand sent Anderson crashing to the mat.

The 6’6”, 284-pounder had just claimed the 21st victory of his boxing career, all while stepping into the ring against an American on his opponent’s home turf for the first time.

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From the opening round, it was clear that Anderson was in for a tough night after being dropped to one knee for the first time in his career.

Yet, the then-undefeated American fought back valiantly in the ensuing rounds, using his jab and switching stances in an attempt to ward off Bakole.

His attempts were unsuccessful as in the fifth round, Bakole pushed Anderson back to the ropes time and time again, before landing the third knockdown of the fight.

His efforts proved futile, as Bakole repeatedly drove Anderson to the ropes before delivering the third knockdown of the fight.

The referee then had no choice but to stop the bout just over two minutes into round five, as Anderson failed to respond to a flurry of powerful shots from Bakole.

Many fans reacted to the vicious stoppage, with one claiming Bakole ‘took his heart’.

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Another added: “Bakole’s devastating power poses a huge threat to Parker.”

“I came here to work,” Bakole added. “This is what I do for my people in Congo, this is what I do for Scotland…I’m here to take over.

“I want to be number one. No one wants to fight me. But with Turki Alalshikh I can get any fight I want.”

Bakole was largely dismissed after suffering the first defeat of his professional career to Michael Hunter in 2018. 

But he defied the odds, turning the tide with victories over Tony Yoka, Carlos Takam and Anderson in an impressive streak that skyrocketed his stock.

The heavy-handed African powerhouse has been chasing the biggest fights in boxing to no avail over the last couple of years, leading to him being branded ‘the most avoided heavyweight on the planet’ by the British press.

His new opponent on Saturday, Parker, is a legitimate top-five heavyweight who serves as a huge step up on paper.

The Kiwi, a former WBO heavyweight champion, is in superb form, having bounced back from a knockout loss to Joe Joyce in 2022 with five consecutive wins, including notable victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.

Parker said he was ready to challenge whoever steps into the ring on Saturday night, but recognised his new opponent’s strengths.

“He is a beast,” the 33-year-old said. “I am looking forward to challenging myself against Martin Bakole. He has been avoided, so let’s get it on.

“(It will be) very difficult, he is going to be flying in, so we will see how he is. I know he has been training hard.”

Parker added: “Things happen in life, not just boxing, in life. You’ve got to adapt, adjust, and go forward, no matter what.”

Shakur Stevenson, Hamzah Sheeraz, Zhang and Joshua Buatsi all feature on ‘The Last Crescendo’ card, regarded by many as boxing’s greatest even of all time.