The February fight between Daniel and Joseph did not take place due to the Briton's illness
Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, photo – Getty Images
Congolese boxer Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) predicted the outcome of the probable fight between IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) and WBO interim world champion Joseph Parker (36-3, 23 KOs).
“If you look at my previous interviews, I predicted that Joseph Parker would beat Daniel Dubois because of his mobility and his boxing brain, his elusiveness. We saw in the fight with Usyk how difficult it is for Daniel against an opponent who moves a lot. So I predicted Parker to win from the very beginning and I still stand by that opinion.”
Martin also commented on his February defeat to the New Zealander, as a result of which the Congolese lost the WBO International heavyweight belt:
“It was a different Parker against me because I'm not Dubois. He fought someone who moved and someone who was tougher than Daniel.”
Let us recall that Daniel and Joseph were supposed to fight back in February, but the Briton was unable to enter the ring due to illness.
Read also: Dubois: I definitely want to fight Parker next
It was recently announced that the International Boxing Federation (IBF) will assign Dubois a mandatory fight against fellow countryman Dereck Chisora (36-13, 23 KOs), the organization's No. 2 contender. The fight will be officially confirmed on April 22, and the deadline for it to take place is June 21.
Read also: Chisora: I'm ready for war, Dubois. Let's have a blockbuster in Tottenham
At the same time, Dubois' potential unification fight against WBO/WBC/WBA/IBO heavyweight title holder Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) will take precedence over the mandatory.
Read also: Hearn: Usyk should retire. What's the point of fights with Parker and Dubois?
In turn, the WBO officially determined that Usyk will defend his championship belt. The Ukrainian's opponent should be Parker. The New Zealander has already challenged Alexander to a fight in his traditional style.
Read also: Parker's trainer: The main thing for us is the fight with Usyk. If not, then we will fight for the vacant title
The parties were given 30 days to negotiate – if the deal is not agreed upon, the WBO will hold a promoter bid for the event. Refusal to fight could result in Alexander losing the WBO championship belt, but Usyk has options to avoid this. One of them is an official request to the WBO to postpone the fight.