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Daniel Dubios, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) world heavyweight champion, will not be defending his title on Saturday, February 21, against New Zealander Joseph Parker. The decision from the Briton came after he fell ill just a couple of days prior to the highly anticipated world championship match in Saudi Arabia, and it had led to him missing the scheduled news conference on Thursday as well.
Notably, Daniel Dubois was set to defend his coveted IBF World Heavyweight Championship for the second-time after defeating his fellow countryman Anthony Joshua at the Wembley Stadium in London on September 21 last year, but it won’t be the case anymore, while the nature of his illness isn’t revealed either. It is important to note that he was awarded the title on June 26 last year after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished it.
With Daniel Dubois out of the picture, Joseph Parker will be taking on Congolese boxer Martin Bakole in Saudi Arabia tomorrow night after being drafted in as a late opponent for him. After Dubois’ sudden withdrawal, Parker hoped for the world champion to get better soon, and he was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “If he is ill, I hope he gets better soon and I'm looking forward to Saturday and having a great show.”
Moreover, during his elongated professional boxing career, Joseph Parker has won 35 fights and suffered just three defeats, and he also held the coveted WBO World Heavyweight Championship from year 2015 to 2017. On the other hand, his opponent Martin Bakole has suffered just one loss in 22 matches, finishing 16 of those with a knockout.
