Anthony Joshua offered ‘Rumble In Jungle II’ comeback fight by dangerous African heavyweight

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Martin Bakole has thrown his hat in the ring to face Anthony Joshua in Africa early next year.AJ’s handlers are currently fielding offers from Ghana and Nigeria to host his next outing, which is expected to take place in either January or February.Joshua has previously hinted at fighting on the continent at points during his careerMark Robinson/MatchroomBakole wants to fight Joshua in Africa next yearGetty Discussions surrounding Joshua’s opponent are already underway, with promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealing that Africa’s two best heavyweights, Efe Ajagba and Bakole, are in the running to face his client.Both men boxed to a majority draw in May and are eagerly awaiting big opportunities.While Ajagba is yet to talk up a fight with Joshua, Bakole put his name forward during a recent interview with Sky Sports.“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat,” said Bakole, who was considered the boogeyman of the glamour division.“We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa.“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. “This is the fight to make. And we need to make it in Africa. It’ll be the Rumble in the Jungle II.”African nations are looking to make major moves in boxingAfrica has played host to some blockbuster showdowns over the years.Africa has a rich boxing history, topped by ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ between Ali and ForemanGETTYNone more so than the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire back in 1974. The contest, which Ali won via eighth-round knockout, was watched by an estimated one billion people worldwide and is one of the most culturally significant fights in the history of the sport.Since that fateful night, major bouts on the continent have slowly dried up, with Hasim Rahman‘s stunning knockout win over Lennox Lewis 24 years ago in South Africa being the last major fight to fall on African shores.That trend appears to be shifting, though, with Amir Khan Promotions beginning to make inroads into the African market.Last month, highly-ranked cruiserweights Brandon Glanton and Marcus Browne headlined a card in Nigeria.And there are now bigger plans afoot, with David Adeleye, Lawrence Okolie, Moses Itauma, and Joshua all being looked at as potential main eventers by the Western African country.