Joseph Parker and Martin Bakole will face off for the WBO Interim belt this Saturday night in Riyadh. The fight came together at the last minute when Daniel Dubois pulled out due to a viral infection.
Parker, the New Zealander, had prepared for a full training camp. Bakole, on the other hand, flew in from Congo and arrived at 2AM on fight day. The Congolese boxer calls himself the 'most avoided heavyweight' and will get his chance to prove it.
The matchup serves as the co-main event. Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will face off in the main event for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel will also compete for the vacant WBC Interim belt on the card.
Zhang, who recently lost to Parker on points but stopped Deontay Wilder, shared his thoughts on the situation:
"I am gutted for Daniel getting sick at such a short time before the fight. It is a surprise and a shame. I want him to get better. Health is most important."
The Chinese heavyweight praised Parker for not saying no to anyone. He also raised questions about Bakole's readiness:
"Here's my question: how fit is Bakole right now? How hard is he training? How serious is his training camp? Two days' notice. There is a lot of questions around this fight."
Parker will look to use his full camp preparation to his advantage. He'll need to weather an early storm from the powerful Bakole. The Congolese fighter poses a threat in the opening rounds but might not be in peak condition.
Bakole was scheduled to fight next in May. This opportunity came out of the blue, and he'll have to make the most of it on short notice.
