Martin Bakole Ilunga stops Ytalo Perea in Round 1

Congo's Martin Bakole Ilunga, recent conqueror of former heavyweight contender Mariusz Wach, KO'd Ytalo Perea in Round 1 this evening at Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, UK.

Bakole, who has nearly 5,000 followers on Twitter, retweated Matchroom Boxing's tweak afterwards:

"? We told you not to blink ?"

With the win, Bakole improves to 13-1, 10 KO while Perea drops to 11-5-2.

Ranked No 42 in the division by BoxRec, Martin Bakole is Congo's top rated heavyweight.

He, of course, gained the notice of hardcore fans after KOing Mariusz Wach in 8 in April.

The win was a redemption of sorts following his KO loss to red hot contender Micahel Hunter in October 2018.

Still raw and without a solid amateur pedigree, Bakole needs to be cultivated well if he plans to secure high money fights.

Does he have what it takes to be a contender?

He's sparred with top heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua, Hughie Fury, Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman.

Of the 130 or so sparring sessions with Joshua, Martin Bakole's trainer, Billy Nelson, told RINGTV:

“We were there for four weeks this time and all I can say is it was exceptional sparring, world class. “You’d actually pay [to watch]. Some of the spars, if they were fights, there wouldn’t be a solitary person complaining about pay-per-view.”

Bakole vs Perea highlights (above)