Martin Bakole claims he's got the skills to beat top heavyweights Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk. The Congolese fighter says he's stopped both in sparring sessions.
Bakole's recent wins over Carlos Takam and Jared Anderson have put him in the spotlight. Now, he says he's the most avoided fighter in the heavyweight division.
Dubois made a big splash in September when he stopped Anthony Joshua in the fifth round. That win put Dubois on the map as a serious contender. But Bakole's trainer, Billy Nelson, says his fighter has already schooled Dubois in sparring.
Nelson claims Bakole was only at 70% fitness when he sparred Dubois. He says Bakole didn't just beat Dubois - he made him quit and broke his nose. Barry McGuigan was there to see it, according to Nelson.
Bakole didn't stop at Dubois. He told Sky Sports he also stopped Usyk in sparring. Usyk, who recently gave up one of his belts, is still seen as the top dog in the division.
The IBF ordered Bakole to fight Agit Kabayel to become the mandatory challenger for Dubois' belt. But Kabayel pulled out of the purse bids. Bakole wasn't happy about it.
"I came to inform you about the Kabayel fight. I'm so disappointed that Kabayel has pulled out of this fight. He doesn't want the smoke, he doesn't want the smoke from the Congolese Warrior. I don't know why they are hiding, I don't know what they don't want the smoke. I can see they don't want to get knocked out, and now everyone can see that. I think people now they are believing me that people don't want to fight me cause they know I will knock them out."
The IBF has now ordered Bakole to face Zhilei Zhang in an eliminator bout. If 'Big Bang' doesn't take the fight, it'll add weight to Bakole's claim that he's the most avoided fighter in the division.
Bakole's got a lot to say, but time will tell if he can back it up in the ring against the top names. For now, he's making noise and trying to get the big fights he thinks he deserves.
