Joseph Parker will now fight Martin Bakole in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after world champion Daniel Dubois was ruled out of the bout with an illness.
‘Triple D’ was due to make the second defence of his IBF title on the stacked undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol this weekend in Riyadh, but after falling ill on Thursday will no longer take part in the show following medical advice. The Riyadh Season event’s promoters have moved quickly to find a new opponent for Parker, with British duo Lawrence Okolie and David Adeleye both considered as potential opponents.
But the Ring Magazine have now confirmed that Glasgow-based Bakole is now set to fly over to the Middle East and step in. The Congolese boxer was scheduled to face Nigerian contender Efe Ajaba in a final eliminator for a shot at Dubois in May, but will now take on former WBO champion Parker on Saturday. Bakole was last in action back in August when he stopped highly-rated American heavyweight Jared Anderson in Los Angeles.
Although Duboi’s world title will no longer be on the line, it has now been reported that the interim WBO title, which is currently held by New Zealand fighter Parker, could be up for grabs on the night. The organisation’s president Gustavo Olivieri has claimed that their belt could be contested, with the winner in line to earn a shot at full WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Responding to a fan’s question on X, Olivieri wrote: “Hello, Sir. The agreement reached with Team Parker was that upon the sound of bell, the title would be declared vacant automatically. However, in light of the new scenario, if Parker finds a suitable replacement opponent, the Committee would certainly consider granting sanction.”