Joseph Parker will now face the dangerous and highly avoided Martin Bakole after Daniel Dubois withdrew from their fight due to illness.
Joseph Parker, now 35-3, was set to challenge for his second world title against Daniel Dubois on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2.
Parker, who spoke on depression recently, won his first world title against Andy Ruiz in 2016, but lost it three fights later when Anthony Joshua handed him his first professional defeat.
Parker has seen a resurgence in his career lately, picking up almost every round against Deontay Wilder, and picking himself up off the canvas twice to best Zhilei Zhang, who almost died in his fight with Jerry Forrest. Parker recently snubbed Wilder in a list of his top five best fights.
The New Zealand man is not one to shy from a challenge and has accepted Martin Bakole, who stopped Jared Anderson, as Dubois’ replacement on less than two days’ notice.
However, there was one fight that was being seriously considered before Bakole stepped up.
Joseph Parker vs Joe Joyce 2 heavily considered, manager says
In an interview with Box Nation, Parker’s manager, Spencer Brown, spoke on the drama behind the scenes: “There’s always something. Always something happens. […] There’s always a story, but this week there’s been more stories than most.”
“We’re two days out, surely nothing else can happen, and Dubois goes down with a crippling flu. […] It’s just unbelievable.”
When asked on how Bakole came to replace Dubois, Brown said of another potential replacement they’d been looking at:
“Well, first of all, I think we were looking at Joe Joyce. Obviously, you’ve got to look at people whose in training, who are ready to fight. Joe Joyce is game as they came. It’s a great little story; he’s beat Joe before.”
Joyce became the first and only man to stop Parker when the pair met in 2022. Despite his recent downhill trajectory, losing to Zhang twice and Derek Chisora most recently, Joyce is the only man to beat both Parker and Dubois.
Joyce is set to face 22-4-1 Patrick Korte next weekend, so has completed a training camp, making him a prime candidate for the Dubois replacement.
Brown goes on to mention other potential opponents, namely Lawrence Okolie, but expresses that he believes Parker can beat Bakole on Saturday.
Eddie Hearn has explained why Anthony Joshua could not have replaced Dubois.
Frank Warren insists a win over Jared Anderson ‘doesn’t make [Martin Bakole] a world-beater’
Speaking also to Box Nation, Frank Warren ridiculed any suggestion that Parker vs Bakole is a better fight than Parker vs Dubois: “Oh that’s stupid, who said that? […] Well they’re idiots. How can it be the best fight [Dubois is] the world champion!”
When asked for his prediction, Warren said: “I think Joe will win it.”
Warren, however, is not quick to believe the hype around Bakole: “We’ll see if he is what everyone says he is, when I say everybody I mean everybody outside the trade, not a lot of people in the trade have that same opinion.”
He concluded: “I ain’t getting fooled by the [Jared Anderson] result, that’s for sure. […] That certainly doesn’t make him a world beater.”
Fellow promoter, Eddie Hearn also predicted Parker to win. Hearn suggested Bakole’s weakness is his fitness, and with the fight on such late notice, he may prove to be right.
Parker takes on Bakole in the co-main event of boxing’s biggest card. Beterbiev, who admits he doesn’t like hitting people, will seek to cement his legacy with a second win over Bivol, who will be looking to right the wrongs of his first attempt at undisputed.
Also on the card, Hamzah Sheeraz fights Carlos Adames for his first world title. Sheeraz stated he would not pray to beat Adames, as his religion gives him an ‘unfair advantage.’
Zhang, who has been training with LL Cool J, takes on Agit Kabayel, and Israil Madrimov clashes with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi also vie for light-heavyweight greatness, though Smith believes George Groves was a better opponent than Buatsi will be. This underestimation may prove detrimental to the Liverpudlian.
Finally, Shakur Stevenson fights late replacement Josh Padley, who stepped in after completing his day’s work as an electrician to fill in for an ill Floyd Schofield on the biggest stage in boxing.