Shalom Says Bakole Is Still a Boxxer Fighter, Refers Cardiff Booking to Lawyers

Ben Shalom says Martin Bakole is still a Boxxer fighter and has sent the heavyweight's Dec. 11 booking on the Fury vs. Joshua card to his lawyers. No court filing has been confirmed in the Bakole matter.

Shalom, Boxxer's chief executive, told Uncrowned on Thursday that Bakole remains under contract and that he learned of the Solomon Adebayo fight when it was announced. "I saw the announcement at the same time you did," he said. Asked whether Bakole was still with Boxxer, he said yes, adding, "Nothing has changed since our position in April/May." He told Uncrowned the matter has been referred to his lawyers. Shalom also said he suspects Dana White's Zuffa Boxing is behind the fight, Uncrowned reported; that is Shalom's suspicion, not an established fact.

IFL TV, in a post Friday, described Shalom as launching a "SCATHING attack on Zuffa Boxing" and said he "revealed that court proceedings are ongoing." That post included a video that has not been independently reviewed here. Uncrowned, which interviewed Shalom, reported only that the Bakole booking has been sent to lawyers. As of this publication, no court filing has been confirmed in the Bakole matter.

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Bakole's side of the contract dispute is not new. In an April statement published by The Ring, Bakole said his lawyer had confirmed that his contract with Boxxer was finished, and that Shalom was "trying to ruin my career." Uncrowned, reporting this week, said Bakole believed he was out of the contract after a proposed fight with Guido Vianello in May did not materialize.

The June action is background, not this filing. Uncrowned reported then that Boxxer was in the process of suing Zuffa Boxing over the alleged poaching of Chris Billam-Smith and Sam Hickey. That claim is separate from the Cardiff booking.

Bakole has not fought since a majority draw with Efe Ajagba in May 2025, as Uncrowned and The Ring have both reported. We covered the announcement that he would face Adebayo on the Dec. 11 Netflix card at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The booking is in dispute. Whether it stays on the card has not been settled in public. If it remains, you can log a pick in Fight Picker.