Martin Bakole has stepped in to Face Joseph Parker

Daniel Dubois has been ruled out of his scheduled IBF heavyweight title defense against Joseph Parker on Saturday, February 22, 2025, due to illness.

Martin Bakole has stepped in as a late replacement to face Parker in a heavyweight clash. This change comes after Dubois was evaluated by a doctor and deemed medically unfit to compete, prompting the switch just 48 hours before the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It’s a significant shake-up for what was set to be a major title fight, but Bakole’s readiness to take the opportunity keeps the card intact. Anything specific you want to dive into about this matchup?