Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker | PPV - February 22, 2025 (OFF)

[Thomastearns]

I think Parker v Bakole is a better fight, I cannot remember when I saw such a quality replacement come in at such a last minute.

Shame it’s not for a belt, but major props to both fighters for doing this.

this opens up a Dubois v AJ fight, but I will try not to be cynical and say this was the reason.

This would make better sense for Dubois.

I never did fancy his chances against the solid technical skill of Parker, and neither did most of those who voted above.

If it is Bakole, then Parker is in danger.
You can't go into such fights on autopilot mode.

Bakole will be super motivated, whilst Parker must be rather deflated.

[Benny The Kid]

I think Parker v Bakole is a better fight, I cannot remember when I saw such a quality replacement come in at such a last minute.

Shame it’s not for a belt, but major props to both fighters for doing this.

this opens up a Dubois v AJ fight, but I will try not to be cynical and say this was the reason.

This would make better sense for Dubois.

I never did fancy his chances against the solid technical skill of Parker, and neither did most of those who voted above.

If it is Bakole, then Parker is in danger.
You can't go into such fights on autopilot mode.

Bakole will be super motivated, whilst Parker must be rather deflated.

I think it's a much easier fight for Parker. Bakole will be on a severe disadvantage on short notice. He will likely tire & be worn down, he doesn't have anywhere near the speed of Dubois. He has stamina issues. Bakole is fighting guy's with like 10-12 wins he isn't ready for a real fighter of Parker's caliber. He's got alot of heart i will give him that.

Bakole is nothing more than a Hrgovic type of fighter caliber big tough guy nothing special. Bakole isn't clearly any better than Hrgovic to me, I think Hrgovic could beat him. Bakole is a real wait for a big shot type of Wilder fighter. He will be way down on a scorecard without a knockdown.

He will be rather unfairly exposed. He's much better than wallin but the short notice makes things more difficult for the fill in it affected wallin severely on short notice just last week.

I seen Kayabel over Sanchez clearly I think this will be a one sided fight. Vs Dubois is was close to 50-50 fight.

Parker vs Usyk has been my dream fight for a few years. Parker is a better boxing type of fighter than anything he faced at heavyweight so far. I wanted Parker vs Usyk right after Joshua fights. It will be an excellent matchup pure boxer vs pure boxer. Much faster pace than a Fury fight. Fury should fight Zhang. That should be the next card. Parker vs Usyk & Zhang vs Fury.

I seen Kayabel take some shots right down the pike from Sanchez, I Think Zhang will knock him out if that happens.
Kayabel win or lose will still be a better prospect than Bakole to me everyday of the week.

To me the very first thing to look at in Parker vs Bakole should be if Parker's body shots hurt Bakole, he's going to need more steam than Anderson had in body shots. I do believe he has it. But we shall see. If Parkers blows hurt him to the stomach he's going to be a sitting duck for a technician like parker and it will be just Parker breaking down his will. Bakole could knock down Parker but if Zhang didn't knock him out Bakole has little chance but a knockdown could very well happen for Bakole. Even with that Bakole will just bleed away rounds much like wilder waiting on a singular big shot.

[Syntax Error]

I feel sorry for Parker, he deserves a title shot.

I expect him to beat Bakole, because he is better and Martin has not faced a fighter in the class of Parker yet.

Hopefully Parker gets his shot once Dubois is better.

[Ruthless-RKO]

There's been some rumours that Dubois pulled out on the back of knowing Usyk would like to fight him next.

[joshj909]

There's been some rumours that Dubois pulled out on the back of knowing Usyk would like to fight him next.

I don't know if Usyk realises how little people want to see that fight as one of his last fights unless Dubois knocks off another contender. Hope it isn't the case and Usyk picks another opponent instead.

[Sendo Takeshi]

Yeah, I'd rather see Parker and Agit fight Usyk next instead of another rematch for Usyk.

[joshj909]

Yeah, I'd rather see Parker and Agit fight Usyk next instead of another rematch for Usyk.

Yep. Dubois should face either the Kabayel/Zhang winner or Parker/Bakole winner. Usyk should face the other winner. The winners of those two fights then face off for undisputed. Makes much more sense.

[Thomastearns]

There's been some rumours that Dubois pulled out on the back of knowing Usyk would like to fight him next.

I don't know if Usyk realises how little people want to see that fight as one of his last fights unless Dubois knocks off another contender. Hope it isn't the case and Usyk picks another opponent instead.

Wait for it ... how about Usyk v Itauma for all the belts in 2026?

[joshj909]

There's been some rumours that Dubois pulled out on the back of knowing Usyk would like to fight him next.

I don't know if Usyk realises how little people want to see that fight as one of his last fights unless Dubois knocks off another contender. Hope it isn't the case and Usyk picks another opponent instead.

Wait for it ... how about Usyk v Itauma for all the belts in 2026?

Itauma needs to beat somebody with a pulse first and earn his shot ahead of Dubois, Parker, Zhang, Kabayel, Bakole. Usyk might barely have a pulse by then.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't know if Usyk realises how little people want to see that fight as one of his last fights unless Dubois knocks off another contender. Hope it isn't the case and Usyk picks another opponent instead.

Wait for it ... how about Usyk v Itauma for all the belts in 2026?

Itauma needs to beat somebody with a pulse first and earn his shot ahead of Dubois, Parker, Zhang, Kabayel, Bakole. Usyk might barely have a pulse by then.

Yeh, i feel he's getting over-hyped

[whiskeyrecord]

No questioning his athletic ability or boxing talent. Needs time and fights to see can he operate at the highest level.
With the Tyson record dream a faded reality now I hope to see a steady progression from Itauma. Charles Martin as rumoured would be a solid next fight for him. I think following that Anderson or Torrez Jr in America would be a good move.

[victor-romeo]

I have Smith up 2-0 rounds vs Buatsi good fight..

[amwsnw]

Been cracking bouts thus far. Thought Ortiz deserved the win, but 117-111 was a bit of a stretch. Thought 115-113 or even.

[squiggy]

Well what was that one card earlier, a 119-110? Goooooood grief.

[amwsnw]

I really hope Joe gets the shot at Usyk next. Not only does he deserve it, I think it’s as competitive a bout as anything available.

[Contendeh]

I really hope Joe gets the shot at Usyk next. Not only does he deserve it, I think it’s as competitive a bout as anything available.

Honestly, with Daniel the one pulling out nobody deserves it more than Kiwi Joe.

[Syntax Error]

Well done to Joseph Parker on becoming the new undisputed sparring heavyweight champion of the world, that's unless Bakole claims to have been robbed and decides to keep the belt in perpetuity like Fury has done with the lineal title.

Parker deserves a shot at the title, the real title, so that means the real champion, Oleksandr Usyk.

It would also be nice to see Usyk fighting someone he hasn't beaten already.

[Ruthless-RKO]

DANIEL DUBOIS TO PURSUE OLEKSANDR USYK FIGHT NEXT, VIRAL INFECTION CAUSED JOSEPH PARKER PULLOUT

Daniel Dubois will pursue a fight with Oleksandr Usyk next, rather than revisit a clash with Joseph Parker, The Ring has learned.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), the IBF heavyweight champion, was supposed to defend his title against Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) on last weekend's 'Last Crescendo' card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but had to pull out with illness on fight week.

As a result, Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) stepped in and was knocked out by Parker in two rounds.

New Zealander Parker is in a position where a world title fight would be the next logical step for his career, but Dubois is now expected to chase a rematch with Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), who holds the WBA/WBC/WBO and Ring heavyweight titles.

Dubois' dad Stan Dubois briefly spoke to The Ring about his son's future plans and what caused him to pull out of his scheduled fight with Parker last week.

He said: "Next, he wants Usyk, it’s frustrating about the Parker fight but he couldn’t fight with an infection. Usyk is who we're going after next.

"Fight week was going well until he became ill. Everything was perfect, then he started feeling unwell a couple days before.

"He had a virus, he had swollen glands and an ear infection so the doctor told him ‘I wouldn’t fight if I was you’ he said ‘you can fight, but after three rounds you’ll be feeling it’.

"He’s had these problems before, swollen glands, viral infection, it’s been happening for about eight years and they usually last three of four days but he’s been alright after that. With this it was just bad timing that it happened two days before the fight. Obviously it was very frustrating for him and us."

Dubois and Usyk fought back in August 2023, with the Ukrainian coming out on top in a ninth-round stoppage victory in Wroclaw, Poland.

The fight wasn't without its controversy, however, as midway through the bout Dubois landed a shot to Usyk's midriff which was adjudged low by the referee.

Usyk went down and writhed in pain but was allowed around four minutes to recover from the blow, which Dubois and his promoter allegedly maintained was a legal punch.

With Dubois and Usyk likely to face each other next, that leaves Parker and The Ring's No. 5 ranked heavyweight Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) without opponents. Those two could very well meet again in what would be a rematch from the latter's unanimous decision win over the former WBO champion in 2018.

[Syntax Error]

I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for Parker.

He's the standout contender, with only Kabayel anywhere near him as a possible contender immediately worthy of a title shot, but I can see a situation where his road to the titles might be blocked, where he takes on difficult opposition repeatedly, then gets beaten before securing a shot.

The same thing happened to Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce, although in Whyte's case, he eventually got a shot when Tyson Fury decided to stop fighting Dereck Chisora and give someone else a go, but by then, it was too late, he was past his best.

[gilgamesh]

I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for Parker.

He's the standout contender, with only Kabayel anywhere near him as a possible contender immediately worthy of a title shot, but I can see a situation where his road to the titles might be blocked, where he takes on difficult opposition repeatedly, then gets beaten before securing a shot.

The same thing happened to Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce, although in Whyte's case, he eventually got a shot when Tyson Fury decided to stop fighting Dereck Chisora and give someone else a go, but by then, it was too late, he was past his best.

Parker is about 4 years younger than Usyk right? Usyk may well be stalling himself right into his undoing. Not that I'm saying Usyk is ducking Parker, just that the circumstances may be setting Parker up to be a more difficult night for Usyk than he would be if they fought next. Usyk is at that age where noticeable slipping could begin to appear at any time. Parker is at the age where he should maintain his present form for a few more years if he stays consistent with his training.

It'll be interesting when and if it goes down. If I were Parker at this point I don't think I'd keep on fighting the cream of the crop in terms of contenders. He's done that. He's the top contender. They need to either get him some well overmatched placeholder opponents or get him his title shot.

[Syntax Error]

I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for Parker.

He's the standout contender, with only Kabayel anywhere near him as a possible contender immediately worthy of a title shot, but I can see a situation where his road to the titles might be blocked, where he takes on difficult opposition repeatedly, then gets beaten before securing a shot.

The same thing happened to Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce, although in Whyte's case, he eventually got a shot when Tyson Fury decided to stop fighting Dereck Chisora and give someone else a go, but by then, it was too late, he was past his best.

Parker is about 4 years younger than Usyk right? Usyk may well be stalling himself right into his undoing. Not that I'm saying Usyk is ducking Parker, just that the circumstances may be setting Parker up to be a more difficult night for Usyk than he would be if they fought next. Usyk is at that age where noticeable slipping could begin to appear at any time. Parker is at the age where he should maintain his present form for a few more years if he stays consistent with his training.

It'll be interesting when and if it goes down. If I were Parker at this point I don't think I'd keep on fighting the cream of the crop in terms of contenders. He's done that. He's the top contender. They need to either get him some well overmatched placeholder opponents or get him his title shot.

Good points.

I concur with this, although it goes against my usual thinking of top tier guys fighting the best, but I think in Parker's case, he's more than earned his shot and if he wants to sit on his ranking and have a 'tune-up' before getting a shot at the end of the year, I can live with that.

It's not foolproof as we all know as tune-ups can present problems too, ideally he should be fighting Usyk next, or at the very least, they resurrect the Dubois fight next.