McGuigan knows Dubois well. His son Shane trained the heavyweight for several fights early in his career. Dubois has been on a roll lately, knocking out Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua in his last three fights.
But McGuigan believes Bakole has what it takes to give Dubois trouble. In an interview with talkSPORT Boxing, McGuigan shared his thoughts on Bakole:
"I think he's a tremendous talent, he's the biggest threat in the heavyweight division. I think he's kryptonite for Dubois."
McGuigan went on to explain why he thinks Bakole is such a problem for Dubois:
"Simply because he can take a great shot. If you hit somebody flat out on the chin and he doesn't go down, your sphincter starts going at 100 miles an hour … You hit someone flat out on the chin and they walk forward and it just bounces off, it's the most horrible situation."
Bakole stands at 6'6" and weighs around 280 pounds. He's got fast hands and a solid chin. He likes to walk opponents down and throw a lot of punches. While he's not known for one-punch knockout power, his ability to take a shot makes him dangerous.
McGuigan pointed out that Bakole has plenty of experience with Dubois' power:
"Oh yes [he's been hit by someone like Dubois before]. He's sparred loads and loads of rounds with Dubois. He knows what Daniel's power is like."
Bakole has been vocal about how well he did in those sparring sessions. He'll get a chance to prove himself in the ring soon. He's set to fight Efe Ajagba in New York in May. The winner will become the mandatory challenger for Dubois' title.
Before that, Dubois has business to take care of. He'll defend his IBF world title against Joseph Parker on February 22. If both Dubois and Bakole keep winning, we might see them face off for real in the near future.