Daniel Dubois’ father details son’s illness and names...

Dubois pulled out of a planned title defence against Joseph Parker last week, citing illness. Details on Daniel Dubois’s recent illness have finally been shared, with his father discussing the heavyweight champion’s withdrawal from a fight with Joseph Parker – and his next move.

Image Credit: The Independent [IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, before withdrawing from his fight with Joseph Parker]

Dubois was due to defend the IBF belt against Parker in Saudi Arabia last Saturday, but the Briton withdrew on two days’ notice, citing illness. Martin Bakole stepped in for Dubois and suffered a second-round knockout by Parker. The specifics of Dubois’s condition were not revealed, while his next move was left unclear, along with Parker’s. After stopping Bakole, Parker called out unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, while some felt that Dubois vs Parker should be rebooked.

Image Credit: The Independent [Joseph Parker knocked out Martin Bakole in round two on Saturday]

However, it could be that neither match-up materialises: according to Stan Dubois, his son is eyeing his own fight with Usyk, two years after losing to the Ukrainian. “Fight week was going well until he became ill. Everything was perfect, then he started feeling unwell a couple days before. He had a virus, he had swollen glands and an ear infection, so the doctor told him: ‘I wouldn’t fight, if I was you.’ He said: ‘You can fight, but after three rounds, you’ll be feeling it’.

Image Credit: The Independent [Dubois during his loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2023]

“He’s had these problems before. Swollen glands, viral infection, it’s been happening for about eight years, and they usually last three or four days, but he’s been alright after that. With this, it was just bad timing that it happened two days before the fight. Obviously it was very frustrating for him and us.”.

In 2023, Dubois dropped Usyk with a punch that was ruled a low blow, despite many believing it was a legal body shot. Usyk climbed off the canvas and ultimately stopped Dubois, staying unbeaten and retaining the unified titles. Dubois has gone 3-0 since, stopping Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. Meanwhile, Usyk has fought twice since, outpointing Tyson Fury twice in 2024. The first fight saw the southpaw become undisputed at heavyweight, while he retained the unified belts in the rematch.