Billy Nelson, the trainer for heavyweight contender Martin Bakole, explained that his boxer’s potential to be a world heavyweight champion has been recognized by Anthony Joshua and Peter Fury.

Earlier this month, Bakole won a tough decision over Sergey Kuzmin on the Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev undercard.

According to Nelson, his boxer has made solid impressions though sparring sessions with Joshua, Hughie Fury, Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois.

"AJ has told me that Martin will be a world champion," Nelson told Sky Sports. "So has [Joshua's trainer] Rob McCracken and so has [Hughie Fury's trainer] Peter Fury. Martin has looked brilliant in sparring.

"Martin is a very clever fighter who makes you think. McCracken thinks along the same lines as myself when it comes to sparring - as long as your brain is active, you don't need to be throwing bombs. If two smart operators are sharing the ring they have to be on the ball all the time. That's the case with Anthony and Martin. You can hear their brains ticking when they spar."

Bakole's sole defeat came in 2018, when he was stopped by top contender Michael Hunter.

Nelson would love to see his fighter get a crack at Dillian Whyte in the near future. He's confident Bakole would win that fight - and even offered to have Bakole step in on late notice when Alexander Povetkin withdrew from his November rematch with Whyte.

"Before he fought Wach at three weeks' notice, Martin only had two spars but went over to Poland and stopped him quicker than anyone had," Nelson said.

"People have questioned Martin's opponents since - but Rodney Hernandez went the distance with Michael Hunter and Adam Kownacki, but Martin destroyed him. And Ytalo Perea was a tough man who had never been stopped. If Martin is on his A-game, he really can beat anyone in the world. I am a great believer that the cream will rise to the top. Pressure? If Martin couldn't handle pressure, he would get a 9-5 job.

"Dillian Whyte is the one we'd like to fight. I've suggested it a few times to [Whyte and Bakole's promoter] Eddie Hearn. I suggested it when Alexander Povetkin pulled out of his fight with Whyte. Martin is technically better, punches harder and faster than Whyte. The only thing Whyte has over Martin is his experience."