Martin Bakole replaces Daniel Dubois, set to face Joseph Parker

Daniel Dubois has withdrawn from his IBF heavyweight title defense against Joseph Parker due to an undisclosed illness, promoter Ben Shalom.

Dubois, who was set to make his first title defense since defeating Anthony Joshua last September, is currently being evaluated by doctors.

With Dubois out, Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) has agreed to step in as a late replacement for Saturday’s bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Congolese heavyweight has been making waves in the division, securing notable wins over Jared Anderson and Carlos Takam.

Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) acknowledged the change but remained focused on the fight.

"If he is ill, I hope he gets better soon," Parker said. "I'm looking forward to Saturday and putting on a great show."

Bakole, who was originally scheduled to face Efe Ajagba in an IBF eliminator, now steps into a high-profile opportunity on a card headlined by Artur Beterbiev’s light-heavyweight title rematch against Dmitry Bivol.

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The news follows another fight-week withdrawal, with Floyd Schofield pulling out of his lightweight title fight against Shakur Stevenson due to illness.