Oleksandr Usyk remains unbeaten in the professional ring but one heavyweight maintains he is the man to put an end to that glorious run.
Usyk has achieved everything there is to achieve in boxing and then some. He is a former Olympic gold medalist who cleaned out the cruiserweight division to become undisputed champion, then moved up to repeat that feat at heavyweight. It took him just six years to do so and along the way he twice beat Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
He has never been knocked down in the pro ranks – though was put to the canvas by Daniel Dubois in what was ruled a low blow – and is generally regarded as the best of his generation and the current pound-for-pound king.
However, Martin Bakole – often regarded as the most avoided man in the division – has sparred with him before now and thinks he would stop the great Ukrainian.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Bakole – who is coming off a stoppage win against Jared Anderson – was asked how he would fare against Usyk.
“Yes [I believe I’m the only man who can do it.] I will beat him easy, I will knock him out. I’m saying this not only because I spar him but I know how to stop southpaws. I learnt all my life, boxing my bother who’s southpaw, how to stop southpaws. All his movement, all that, I will stop that, I will knock him out.”
Bakole’s brother, Ilunga Makabu, is a former WBC cruiserweight world titlist who held the belt between 2020 and 2023 after failing in his first attempt to win it when he was knocked out by Tony Bellew in 2016.
Whether or not Bakole ever gets a shot at Usyk likely depends on if he can get a world title shot of his own against the winner of Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker later this month.
Should he secure his mandatory shot with a win over Efe Ajagba in May and then manage to beat either Parker or Dubois, he may be able to lure Usyk into an undisputed contest.
