BUZZ Bakole's coach Nelson says a fit Martin Bakole would 'smash' WBO champion Dubois

A heavyweight who has been out for more than a year is being pitched as a threat to a world champion, and the man doing the pitching is his own head coach. Billy Nelson told The Fight Wire that a fit Martin Bakole would beat WBO champion Daniel Dubois, and he claims to know exactly how.

Nelson's case rests on what he has seen before and since. He says Dubois is the same fighter Bakole sparred at the Peacock Gym several years ago, and that the defensive frailties are still there after the first Fabio Wardley fight. "Martin Bakole would smash Daniel Dubois to bits," he said, adding that a fit Bakole always would.

There is some evidence for the frailty argument. In the first Wardley fight Dubois survived two knockdowns before winning by 11th-round stoppage, according to Boxing News. He was also stopped in round five by Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025 and has been dropped in earlier fights, including against Kevin Lerena in 2022. Against that, Dubois flattened Wardley inside the first 17 seconds of the rematch and finished it in round two.

The question around Bakole is activity. At 33, he has not fought since the draw with Efe Ajagba in May 2025. Before that he lost in round two to Joseph Parker, a fight he took on around two days' notice, and he stopped Jared Anderson in round five. He plans to return early next year, and the word fit in Nelson's quote is doing a lot of work.

Dubois, 29, has other names in view. Our earlier reporting shows he has said he wants to fight Moses Itauma, who is also due back in early 2027, and IBF champion Filip Hrgovic has named Dubois among the heaviest hitters he has faced. Nothing links Dubois and Bakole beyond Nelson's words.

What to watch is Bakole's comeback fight. His opponent and date will show whether he is ready for the champion's division or needs a rebuilding step first.