Bakole Says He ‘Battered' Usyk – ‘Ask His Team'

Martin Bakole says he "battered" Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk in sparring.

Usyk will go down as one of the best boxers of his generation, having become undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight – the latter of which is on two occasions. He is coming off a stoppage win over Daniel Dubois which made him undisputed at heavyweight again, taking his record to  (24-0, 15 KOs). The ease with which Usyk dismantled a power puncher, who had stopped Anthony Joshua in the fight before, showed his greatness.

Dubois’ failure to stop Usyk raises questions over whether Bakole would do any better. Bakole’s career has stagnated since his stoppage win over Jared Anderson in August 2024. He was knocked out by Joseph Parker, a fight that he took on short notice. He is also coming off a majority draw against Efe Ajagba in May, a fight where some felt he had lost. However, Bakole says he got the better of Usyk in sparring, stating that the Ukrainian’s team are aware of this. 

Bakole Reacts

"Usyk knows himself. Every time I go there to spar him, I always give him trouble. Ask his team, he knows. He was bleeding everywhere. He knows that I can stop him easily," Bakole said 

There are several key reasons why this should be taken with a grain of salt. Sparring and a professional fight are two entirely different things. Sparring is to help a fighter prepare for a specific opponent by simulating their style, or to work on new techniques and strategies. In sparring, fighters wear headgear, use bigger, more padded gloves. The objective is to learn.

Usyk might have been working on footwork, testing a new angle, or trying to acclimate to a specific style. His sparring partners, on the other hand, may treat the session as an opportunity to make a name for themselves by performing well against a world champion. Bakole’s own recent record damages his claims. A fighter who did not beat Ajagba, who is not in the top tier of the division, is unlikely to be a significant threat to an undisputed champion. 

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