Sparring Joshua, Usyk a Mistake, Says Martin Bakole

Martin Bakole says he made a mistake sparring the likes of Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk as they now avoid him and is targeting a big fight with AJ in the future.

Martin Bakole could not be more clear. He is ready. Ready for Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk or any of the top level heavyweights.

Bakole’s confidence is based on his past spars with Fury, Usyk, Joshua and more. Thanks to that he’s convinced he now knows how to beat them.

“I was learning from them, now I’m ready for them,” he  “I’m very ready now for my team to make a big fight for me because I can’t wait anymore.”

He has spent plenty of time in camp with Anthony Joshua. Bakole maintains: “I learned how to stop him.

“Inside he doesn’t want to be put under pressure. Joshua, I’m going to put him under pressure and he’ll give up,” he continued.

“He doesn’t know how to fight on the inside. So give him pressure on the inside till he gives up.”

Bakole believes he has identified weaknesses in other top fighters. Usyk’s team deny that Bakole halted the unified champion in one of their sparring sessions, but the Congolese heavyweight is adamant he found a way to hurt Usyk in sparring “with a big body punch”.

He was a key sparring partner for Usyk ahead of his two fights with Anthony Joshua. But fed up with only getting a couple of rounds in as the champion rotated sparring partners, he had wanted to leave an impression.

“Sometimes you only work two rounds in a day and it’s not enough,” he told Sky Sports. “I say okay this time I’ll show you.

“He took one or two minutes to recover.”

Bakole added with a smile: “I don’t think they’ll call me anymore.”