The heavyweight star has some strong words for the former world champion.
Heavyweight star Martin Bakole has claimed that former world champion Anthony Joshua is afraid to fight him after a gruelling sparring session between the pair.
Bakole, 31, holds a professional record of 20-1 and is scheduled to face top contender Jared Anderson in his next fight on the 3rd of August.
A win over Anderson will no doubt put Bakole’s name on the map as he eyes a future title fight, and he already has Joshua in mind as a potential opponent.
Since joining forces with Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison late last year in preparation for his win over Otto Wallin, ‘AJ’ has looked better than ever.
The 34-year-old is fresh off his sensational victory over former UFC star Francis Ngannou back in March. He landed a devastating right hand to topple the MMA heavyweight, putting him out cold in a terrifying scene.
‘AJ’ looks set to fight Daniel Dubois on the 21st of September at Wembley in London, with the winner looking set to face the winner of the rematch between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Martin Bakole Claims He ‘Smashed’ Joshua in Sparring
The heavyweight has some strong words for the Brit
Joshua is seen as one of the biggest stars in the division and is now looking to become a world champion again following his back-to-back defeats to Usyk. Despite his huge reputation, Bakole believes he’ll be unable to secure a bout with the Brit because of a previous sparring session.
In a recent interview with iFL TV, Bakole revealed he’s faced both Joshua and Dubois in the gym and beat them so badly they’re both afraid to get in the ring with him again.
“I didn’t just spar them, I smashed them. I destroyed them in the gym. That’s the reason why they don’t want to fight me. That’s a good fight, a 50-50 for me, they don’t have a boxing brain but they are strong and can box but no boxing brain like Martin Bakole. Good luck to both but I would smash them.”
Eddie Hearn’s Plans For Heavyweight Division
AJ vs Dubois, Usyk vs Fury 2, Winner vs Winner
Plans appear to have been laid out for the heavyweight division by promoter Eddie Hearn. The plans are laid out in a semi-final and final fashion with three fights taking place in the next year for those involved.
Hearn’s proposed plans involve Joshua, Dubois, Usyk and Fury with the first two fighting each other before the latter two share the ring once again in their rematch. Once both of those fights are in the books, he then wants to see the winners go head-to-head at the start of next year.
The boxing promoter will be hoping that this bracket creates an all-British colossal fight between Joshua and Fury that has been in the works for many years now.
Even if Bakole secures a devastating knockout win against Anderson in his next bout, it appears very much doubtful that his next fight will be against ‘AJ.’
