Boxing

Daniel Dubois Out Of Title Fight vs Joseph Parker

Daniel Dubois will not be fighting Joseph Parker this weekend for this reason.

Grant Young

Daniel Dubois walks to the ring ahead of the the IBF World Heavy weight bout on September 21, 2024.
Daniel Dubois walks to the ring ahead of the the IBF World Heavy weight bout on September 21, 2024. / IMAGO / PA Images

One of the most highly-anticipated matchups in the iconic February 22 'The Last Crescendo' Riyadh Season card is the fight between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker for the IBF world heavyweight championship.

After Dubois stopped British superstar Anthony Joshua during their bout in September 2024, his fame and respect have risen to an unprecedented new level. And given the amount of attention and eyeballs that will be on this February 22 card, a win (especially via knockout) against Joseph Parker would do wonders for his legacy.

However, it became apparent that Dubois might not even make it to the ring on Saturday, as Ring Magazine made a February 20 X post that wrote:

"‼️ The Ring has learned that IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois is sick and is currently being evaluated by a doctor. A replacement is being pursued in the event that Dubois is unable to move forward with his defense against Joseph Parker on Saturday night."

Boxing insider Ariel Helwani has since confirmed that Dubois is indeed out of Saturday's fight with an X post that wrote, "Joseph Parker vs. Daniel Dubois is off, per sources in Riyadh.

"Dubois has a health issue.

"They are actively trying to find a replacement, but the fight card is in two days. I’m told the presser which was supposed to start shortly has been pushed back.

"@RingMagazine first reported the fight was in jeopardy."

This awesome fight card has already experienced a late replacement, as Shakur Stevenson is now fighting Josh Padley instead of Floyd Schofield after Schofield had to withdraw due to illness earlier this week.

It's tough to see such a fantastic card (which Teddy Atlas said could be "perhaps Greatest Boxing Card ever" earlier this week) becoming snakebitten with these withdrawals.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.