Should Parker win, he will likely be set for either a shot at Dubois’ world title or at the belts held by Oleksandr Usyk, but Bakole will be keen to gatecrash that particular party.
The 33-year-old had been preparing for a shot at becoming a two-time world champion, with Parker scheduled to challenge for Daniel Dubois’ IBF heavyweight world title on a huge card.
Parker is in career-best form, after wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, while Bakole was last seen in the ring when impressively beating Jared Anderson last summer.
Parker must now quickly adapt to an awkward opponent he had not prepared for, while Bakole will surely be a fair way off his peak physical condition.
It is all change for Joseph Parker as he now meets Martin Bakole in the Riyadh ring tonight.
