A hard-hitting heavyweight contender has revealed details of a sparring session with two-time world champion Anthony Joshua.
The 35-year-old from Watford, England looks to have entered the final chapter of his impressive career, where he has won the world heavyweight championship on two occasions, holding the unified WBA, WBO and IBF titles twice between 2016 and 2021.
He fell short in his opportunity to become a three-time heavyweight champion last September when he suffered a 5th round knockout defeat against British rival Daniel Dubois.
Dubois has held the IBF heavyweight title since last June after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the crown following his undisputed championship win over Tyson Fury in May.
Despite the magnitude of his loss to Dubois, ‘AJ’ has recently confirmed he will be continuing his career as he expects to return to the ring in the near future, with a number of opponents reportedly keen on facing the Brit.
One of those includes Martin Bakole. who claims he left Joshua on ‘shaky legs’ during a previous sparring session.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Bakole shared details of that sparring session, claiming the British superstar tried to ‘knock him out’ in the first round.
“First round I gave him a hard time. The next day they took everyone out … I was surprised his coash asked me to do six or eight rounds, I said ‘I’m ready.’ The first round went nice, then AJ tried to knock me out and I was like ‘what the hell?’ I came here to help you and you give me hard time, so my coach said show him. So I catch him with a beautiful left hand, and it shook his head and legs. Everyone was quiet in the gym. He was a bit hazy. He recovered and we started sparring again. I only used the left hook.”
The 31-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to face Nigerian star Efe Ajagba in an all-African showdown in May, which could then set up a huge bout with Joshua that is likely to happen in Africa later on in the year.
