In yet another heavyweight development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it has been reported by multiple sources that tomorrow night’s DAZN PPV fight between Joseph Parker and Martin Bakole will now contest the WBO interim title that Parker currently holds.
Initially, before his scheduled fight with defending IBF heavyweight champ Daniel Dubois was pulled , this due to Dubois falling sick, Parker was to have been stripped of his WBO interim strap as soon as the bell rang. But now, with the IBF belt no longer at stake in tomorrow’s fight, the secondary version of the WBO belt WILL be up for grabs; either with Parker retaining it or late-notice fighter Bakole wining it.
Saturday’s winner will then be looking at getting a huge fight with Usyk, who of course holds the WBO, WBA, and WBC titles.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri posted on social media how his organisation will sanction Parker Vs. Bakole for the WBO interim belt, the winner to become Usyk’s mandatory.
It’s unclear where this will leave Dubois, and whether or not Usyk will fight the Parker-Bakole winner in his next fight, or if he will fight Dubois, who Usyk said he was very much interested in fighting in a return bout (Usyk of course stopped Dubois in their August, 2023 fight, but not before the “low blow/legal body shot” incident earlier in the bout).
So now, regardless of what may or may not happen over the course of the coming months, Parker and Bakole have a heck of a lot to fight for tomorrow night.
Who wins this late replacement fight and goes home with both the WBO interim title and a potential big fight with Oleksandr Usyk to look forward to??
