Martin Bakole believes the mere mention of his name makes other heavyweights hide in fear. Filip Hrgovic isn't one of them. He wanted to see what the big man from the Congo is made of.

Apparently, the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“It was offered, and he said he don’t want it," Hrgovic told The Ring recently. "He didn’t want to fight.”

Hrgovic once admired Bakole. For years, Bakole not only yelled to the world that he was the best-kept secret, but he also went out and proved it. And when he was finally given his moment to shine against Jared Anderson in August of last year, he took advantage.

After he became the first, and so far only man, to beat Anderson – by a fifth-round knockout – a funny thing happened, however: Complacency crept in, as Hrgovic saw it. And poor results in the ring followed.

Bakole no longer walked around like a guy who had something to prove. He smiled more often, wore designer clothes, and ate whatever he wanted. Hrgovic believes a man should enjoy the fruits of his labor, but, in his opinion, Bakole went overboard.

“I think he was a warrior for a long time,” Hrgovic told The Ring during a one-on-one sit-down. “He did one good fight, and he gained like 500 pounds. He got relaxed, bought the whole Gucci shop.”

It’s been downhill for Bakole since the victory over Anderson. On Feb. 22, at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Bakole stepped in on short notice against Joseph Parker and was stopped in two rounds. Although he had a built-in excuse, the setback was still damaging to his brand.

Then, on May 3, came another disappointment. Bakole claimed things would be different against Efe Ajagba in a return to Saudi Arabia but he came up short once more, settling for a majority decision draw.

Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs) isn’t thrilled about his own career, but, unlike the man he’s chastising, he plans on doing things the “right” way.

In just a few short days, on Aug. 16, he’ll tussle with David Adeleye at ANB Arena. He’ll look to put more distance between himself and his 2024 eighth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, which was followed by a unanimous-decision victory over a fading Joe Joyce.

Taking on someone like Adeleye is a step in the right direction, but does he believe the 28-year-old Londoner can truly test him? Absolutely not.

“I don’t think he’s the toughest opponent I faced,” Hrgovic said. “But I don’t think he [has] faced a guy like me.”