Why has Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker been cancelled? Dynamite pulls out of fight as Martin Bakole replaces him

 about the dramatic situation and Dubois' current condition, his promoter Frank Warren said: "It was a big fight, he's trained very hard.

"If you don’t fight you don’t get paid, imagine the cost of a training camp, booking places, setting the camp up, bringing the sparring partners in, nutritionists, chefs, trainers, and you don’t get paid.

"It’s a massive loss, you can’t insure it, if you do it costs a fortune to insure.

"Very, very disappointed. It was an unbelievable purse he was getting for the fight but we are where we are, if you’re not well, you can’t fight.

"I’m always saying to the fighters I don’t want to hear after the event if anything goes wrong that you had a bad hand, or a cold, or your budgie died, none of that matters, you live to fight another day.

"We knew he weren’t well. When he went to the doctor originally he was just going to have the doctor examine him, give him some medication but the medication he gave him obviously had to be checked that it didn’t have any ingredients on the WADA list.

"To do that they got in touch with the Boxing Board of Control, then a Boxing Board of Control doctor came along and he got a little bit worse by then.

"One of the medicines he was given causes a lot of drowsiness, so that was the end of that."

Asked specifically what is wrong with Dubois, Warren replied: "He’s got a viral infection.

"Quite a few people have been getting it out here. I remember the last time when we went back from here [in December] a lot of people were ill over Christmas. You see some of these conspiracy theorists, you don’t know where their brains are sometimes if they’ve even got any."

Who is Parking facing instead?

It would have been tough news to hear for Dubois but also for Parker, who has lost out on his chance to become a world champion.

Instead, he will be facing fast-rising Congolese star Bakole who has taken Dubois' place in the chief support slot.

The heavy-handed African superstar has a professional record of 21-1, winning every single fight he has had since 2018.

His most recent wins have come against Tony Yoka, Carlos Takam and Jared Anderson, who stopped in the fifth round.

Parker vs Bakole: Date and start time

The 12-round heavyweight bout will take place on Saturday, February 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Official start times are now confirmed, with the undercard set to get going at 3:30pm UK time.

Then Parker vs Bakole is set to start at 9:40pm, but that time is subject to change.

talkSPORT has secured the commentary rights to this massive event.

Adam Catterall will present live coverage from Riyadh on talkSPORT at 8pm with commentary coming from Gareth A Davies, Spencer Oliver and John Rawling.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream. Listen via the talkSPORT app here, or on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

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