Daniel Dubois is looking for his next opponent to defend his IBF heavyweight title. The champ got his belt in September when he knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium.
Dubois won't be fighting Joshua again anytime soon. Both Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have said that's not happening. Instead, Dubois will likely step into the ring again in February.
Right now, Joseph Parker seems to be the frontrunner to face Dubois. Zhilei Zhang is also in the mix. We'll probably know who Dubois will fight pretty soon.
Meanwhile, Billy Nelson, who trains Martin Bakole, doesn't think his fighter will get a shot at Dubois. In an interview with Pro Boxing Fans, Nelson said:
"Frank Warren is not going to put Martin Bakole in with Daniel Dubois. Let me tell you that here and now. That won't happen. Martin would need be to be mandatory."
Nelson thinks Dubois' team is keeping him away from Bakole unless they have to make the fight.
Bakole's been making waves in the heavyweight division lately. He stopped Carlos Takam in the fourth round last October. Before that, he had a career-best performance in August, knocking out the previously unbeaten American Jared Anderson in the fifth round in Los Angeles.
The IBF has ordered Bakole to fight Agit Kabayel in a final eliminator. If Bakole wins that, he could force Dubois to fight him. But for now, it looks like we'll have to wait and see who Dubois picks for his next fight in February.
