Dubois may fight Bakole who ‘stopped’ him and Usyk in sparring

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Martin Bakole has been told that he must beat Ihor Shevadzutskyi comfortably within six rounds if he is to book himself a clash with the sport’s greats, such as Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois – who he has called out in previous interviews. The heavyweight will need to be at his very best to secure a victory on the night, though the 29-year-old feels that this bout is simply a stepping stone for him to be able to compete at the very top level.

Bakole has only tasted defeat once in his career, and the Congolese star now has his heart set on disrupting the heavyweight division. He faces Ukrainian ‘Hulk’ Shevadzutskyi on Saturday, and an impressive performance would ensure that Bakole is firmly in the conversation to compete with the very best.

Promoter of the event, Ben Shalom, told Sky Sports: “Obviously the Hulk’s never been beaten before, it’s a big test. Martin will want to put on an explosive performance.

“He needs to stop him in six rounds, I think. He’ll want to show how explosive he can be. He’s not fought since he fought [Tony] Yoka out in Paris last year. Yoka’s since lost to [Carlos] Takam and so he needs to put in a statement.

“If he puts on a statement then everything opens up for him. He wants Daniel Dubois for the Interim [or regular] title with the WBA. He wants to fight Oleksandr Usyk. That would be the aim.”

Bakole would certainly head into a bout with Dubois full of confidence considering that he has spoken previously about sparring with the 25-year-old twice before and coming out on top on both occasions. The heavyweight hopeful claims to have stopped Usyk when sparring too whilst the pair were both out in Dubai – making it no secret that the Ukranian would be in no position to deny it.

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Brimming with confidence, he said: “Daniel Dubois is the fight I want. I’ve sparred him twice and I stopped him twice in sparring. He knows that. If we fight, I think I stop him in the first or second round.

“I’m calling him out and I want him to be ready for me. I want that fight, I can’t wait. People are hiding because they don’t want to fight me because I made the mistake from sparring them in the gym. Even Usyk, I stopped him in sparring in Dubai, he knows that.”

Dubois and Usyk – who has since denied Bakole’s claims – are in negotiations to face each other next however, with the Ukrainian putting his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles on the line in a mandatory defence.

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