Martin Bakole says Oleksandr Usyk has felt his power behind closed doors. Speaking to Seconds Out, the 33-year-old claimed that in past sparring “I always give him trouble… He was bleeding everywhere,” adding that Usyk “knows himself” and would avoid him if a real fight were offered. Bakole believes he “can stop him easily.”
Usyk’s public résumé needs no hype. The undisputed heavyweight champion has beaten Tyson Fury (twice), Daniel Dubois (twice), Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua (twice), and most recently stopped Dubois in five rounds on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. He has also floated the idea of retirement after a run that cements him among the era’s elite, because, what else is there to accomplish in heavyweight?
Bakole still wants his shot, but his recent form complicates the route. After dropping and stopping Jared Anderson last August, he was knocked out in two rounds by Joseph Parker on February 22 in Riyadh (as a late replacement), then fought to a majority draw with Efe Ajagba on May 3. That stretch won’t push him to the front of the queue for Usyk’s crown.
Sparring stories aren’t scorecards, but they do fuel callouts. Bakole insists his gym sessions with Usyk were one-way traffic. Usyk, unbeaten at 24-0 (15 KOs), hasn’t answered the claim - but with the champion weighing his future, Bakole’s path back to the top likely runs through more wins before any undisputed talk.
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