Johnny Nelson: "Usyk Will Choose Like a King"

Former world champion Johnny Nelson shared his exclusive thoughts with Ready To Fight on who he sees as the favorite in the Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole showdown, set for February 22 in Riyadh, with the WBO interim heavyweight title on the line.

"Our sport is probably the most unpredictable in the world. It’s terrible for Daniel Dubois, I feel for him. But this is a massive opportunity for Bakole."

"Ten hours of flying from Congo, and now he has to shock the world. He thinks he's heading toward Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk will be sitting there like a king, picking his next move. ‘Do you want to fight me? Or maybe you want to fight me?’ He has the power of choice."

"You know what common sense tells you about Parker vs. Bakole? That Parker wins, simply because he had time to prepare. If both men had a full camp, my answer might be different."

"Bakole is the guy everyone avoids. Nobody calls him a liar when he talks about his sparring sessions. I bet every other heavyweight is thinking, ‘Thank God Joseph is the one stepping in with him.’"

"I’m absolutely sure that neither Joseph Parker nor Spencer Brown wanted this fight. But Turki Alalshikh did. However, logic still says Parker should get the win."

For a detailed RTFight statistical breakdown of Parker vs. Bakole, check the link here.