The heavyweight champion’s team has reversed a claim that Oleksandr Usyk was stopped in sparring by an also-ran contender based in the UK.
Martin Bakole, whose most significant win came against the recently humiliated Tony Yoka, had sat on the Sky Sports sofa and stated he halted Usyk in the Middle East.
Bakole told Sky Sports: “Even Usyk, I don’t think he’d say yes [to a fight between us) because I stopped him in Dubai in sparring.
“He knows how good I am. I don’t know if he’ll also say yes to fighting me. I am telling the truth.
“No excuses this year. I am ready to face anybody now.”
Heavyweight champion
Alexander Krassyuk, manager of the WBN 2022 Fighter of the Year, said Usyk was on the verge of stopping Bakole.
“Bakole is a great kid. He was Usyk’s best sparring partner in the last three training camps,” pointed out Krassyuk. “But I heard him stopping Usyk just once, and he stopped him from knocking Bakole out,” he added.
On the verge of landing solid domestic UK fights on the back of his Yoka win, Bakole is a world away from a title shot.
He’d have to go through the likes of Joe Joyce, Andy Ruiz Jr., Deontay Wilder, or Filip Hrgovic to get anywhere near challenging the best.
By his admission, Bakole would rather face the WBA ‘Regular’ champion, who is not even recognized as a titleholder.
Bakola also stated he knocked out Dubois into the bargain.
Target
“Daniel Dubois,” answered Bakole when the Sky Sports team asked him who he wanted to fight next. “I sparred him twice and stopped him twice in sparring.
“He and his team know, so I think I would stop him in the first or second round.
“I am looking to the WBA. I have the number two ranking. Why not Daniel Dubois because he is the regular champion right now?
“I am calling him out. I want him to be ready for me.
“But I want that fight. I can’t wait. I wait too much. People are hiding away because they don’t want to fight me.
“I made the mistake of sparring with them in the gym, but now there are no more excuses.”
If he’s knocking out champions left, right, and center, the world will soon know who Martin Bakole is.
