Boxing

Joseph Parker To Face Knockout Artist After Daniel Dubois Withdraws

Joseph Parker has a new opponent after Daniel Dubois' withdrawal.

Apratim Banerjee

IMAGO / AAP

Daniel Dubois was forced to withdraw from his IBF heavyweight title fight against Joseph Parker on February 22. Dubois had illness and couldn't compete as a result.

With Floyd Schofield already out against Shakur Stevenson, the card was in danger of falling apart. Joseph Parker, though, has a big name opponent in line.

The Kiwi will take on knockout artist Martin Bakole on February 22. Bakole is 21-1-0 with 16 knockout wins under his belt and is coming off a fifth round knockout win against Jared Anderson.

Congo's Bakole is certainly up for the biggest fight of his life against a battle tested Parker. Parker is 35-3-0 with 23 knockout wins and beat Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang in his last two fights.

The fight card this weekend is headlined by Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Apart from the two suprstar Russians, Parker, Stevenson, Zhilei Zhang, Callum Smith, Joshua Buatsi, Israil Madrimov, and more are also fighting.

Despite Schofield and Dubois having to pull out, the card remains a spectacle. Dubois' withdrawal, though, was a big disappointment for fans. That said, Martin Bakole stepping in on such short notice is massive and he is certainly a worthy late replacement.

Ring Magazine previously reported that Lawrence Okolie, David Adeleye, and Mourad Aliev were eyed as the replacements for Daniel Dubois. Hence, Bakole stepping in comes as a big surprise.

Parker should have the upper hand in the contest given he is coming off a full fight camp. Bakole, however, can change the course of any fight with his power.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is an experienced sports journalist and has covered Football, Boxing, MMA, and more for the past five years. He has worked for Sports Illustrated, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and other publications. Apratim is currently pursuing an MSc. in Sport Marketing at Loughborough University London.