Martin Bakole seemingly has favorable sparring stories involving all of the elite heavyweights, and he now claims that even the division’s top dog, Oleksandr Usyk, was no match for him.

Usyk is the undisputed heavyweight champion and therefore the man to beat. Thanks to wins over Tyson Fury (x2), Daniel Dubois (x2), Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua (x2), he sits in his rightful place on the throne. Bakole, however, doesn’t consider him an unbeatable behemoth.

According to Bakole, the two threw on their gear and sparred on several occasions in the past. And while the 33-year-old is aware that sparring is sparring, he's adamant it was one-way traffic.

“Usyk knows himself,” Bakole said on Seconds Out while smiling. “Every time I go there to spar him, I always give him trouble. Ask his team, he knows. He was bleeding everywhere.”

Whether Bakole’s story is true or not, it hasn’t stopped Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) from becoming an all-time great. Recently, he put to bed his rivalry with Dubois, scoring a fifth-round stoppage victory over him on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.

Now, after nearly cleaning out the division, Usyk has flirted with the idea of retirement. But before he rides off into the sunset, Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs) is hoping he’ll get his shot. Ultimately, though, he’ll need to put in a bit more work.

After dropping and stopping former highly thought of prospect Jared Anderson last August, Bakole’s career has gone in the wrong direction. On February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he was brutally KO'd in just two rounds against Joseph Parker, albeit as a late replacement. A few months later, on May 3, he returned to the scene of the crime.

Although he performed better, he was still forced to settle for a majority decision draw against Efe Ajagba. Those recent results won’t make him the frontrunner to face Usyk. But even if he did find himself in the No. 1 contender spot for his undisputed crown, Bakole has a feeling that Usyk would avoid him at all costs.

“He knows that I can stop him easily.”