Congolese heavyweight boxer Martin Bakole has thrown down the gauntlet to British-Nigerian boxing star Anthony Joshua, claiming the former world champion is “scared” to face him in the ring.

Bakole, who once served as Joshua’s sparring partner, made the bold statement while expressing his readiness to fight AJ in Nigeria, describing the potential bout as “The Rumble in the Jungle II.”

“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole told Sky Sports.

The 31-year-old boxer insisted that Joshua knows how dangerous he is from their sparring sessions, saying:

“Anthony Joshua doesn’t want to fight me. He knows what happened in sparring. If we get in the ring, I’m going to knock him out, without doubt. I’ll even knock him out in Nigeria, in front of his own crowd.”

The callout comes as Joshua’s team prepares for a comeback fight in Nigeria early next year, following his defeat to Daniel Dubois in a world heavyweight title bout at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

Promoter Dr. Ezekiel Adamu, who recently co-organized the successful “Chaos in the Ring” event in Lagos with former world champion Amir Khan, confirmed that Bakole is one of several potential opponents being considered for Joshua’s return.

“He is an option. There are a lot of options being thrown at us for this particular fight, but – yes – Martin Bakole is here,” Adamu told Sky Sports News.

Adamu added that Nigeria’s massive fan base and status as Africa’s economic hub make it the perfect stage for Joshua’s next big fight.

While Joshua’s team had earlier hinted at Ghana as a possible venue, Nigeria now appears to be the frontrunner, setting the stage for what could be one of the most anticipated heavyweight clashes on African soil in decades.