Dubois out – Bakole in! Martin Bakole is standing in for IBF champion Daniel Dubois, who is ill, and will face Joseph Parker in Riyadh on Saturday.
Unexpected drama surrounding the mega fight card in Riyadh: Heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois has been forced to pull out due to illness. His scheduled fight against Joseph Parker cannot take place as planned – but the promoter reacted with lightning speed and signed Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 knockouts) as a short-term replacement for Parker (35-3, 23 knockouts).
On paper, the replacement fight against Martin Bakole sounds spectacular. The Congolese is considered a dangerous puncher and attracted worldwide attention with his impressive knockout victory over Jared Anderson in round five. But there remains one crucial catch: Bakole was not in active preparation. His next scheduled fight would not have been until May against Efe Ajagba – his physical condition is therefore questionable. Bakole recently showed himself to be significantly overweight on social media, and it remains unclear how much he can get into shape within a few days. Parker, on the other hand, is in top form, has been in full training for Dubois and will enter the ring with the aim of sending Bakole to the canvas.
While Bakole is a well-known name in the heavyweight division, other opponents would certainly have made more sense on short notice. Frank Sanchez, who fights in Mexico on Saturday, or Joe Joyce, who faces Patrick Korte next week, would have been possible options with full preparation. In particular, a rematch between Parker and Joyce would have had plenty of fuel for fire due to their last meeting in 2022, in which Joyce was the first boxer to stop Parker early.
Text by Robin Josten