Dubois has been on fire lately. He's won his last three fights in impressive fashion. In December, he stopped Jarrell Miller in the 10th round after taking some heavy shots early on. Then in June, he beat Filip Hrgovic when the fight was stopped due to cuts. That win made Dubois the full IBF champion. But his biggest win came in September when he knocked out former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua in the 5th round.
Dubois was set to fight Joshua again in February, but Joshua's out with injuries. Now, Martin Bakole wants a shot at the title.
Bakole's promoter, Ben Shalom, says his fighter is ready to step up. He told Sky Sports:
"If they're looking for an opponent for Daniel for February, Martin's ready to step in. Martin is the future of the heavyweight division. He's now closing in on his world title shot. Once he gets it, there's going to be no stopping him. He beats Daniel Dubois and then he can unify the division."
Bakole's ranked fourth by the IBF and just knocked out hot American prospect Jared Anderson. People are starting to take notice. Shalom believes Bakole's the man to beat at heavyweight.
"After the Anderson fight people are finally starting to take notice. I believe he's the man to beat at heavyweight. The IBF title is his focus. He's set to fight Kabayel next for mandatory status. Once he's won the IBF title, he will be coming for all the belts."
Right now, Bakole's been ordered to fight Agit Kabayel, who's ranked third by the IBF. They've got a week to make a deal before it goes to purse bids. But with Dubois set to fight in February and Joshua out of the picture, Bakole sees an opportunity.
It's an interesting situation. Dubois needs an opponent, and Bakole wants his shot at the title. We'll have to wait and see if this fight comes together for February.