Daniel Dubois’ father has spoken about how serious his son’s viral infection was, which led to the British boxer withdrawing from his fight against Joseph Parker.
Dubois, 27, pulled out of his important world title fight with Joseph Parker just two days before the event in Riyadh due to illness.
Martin Bakole from Congo replaced Dubois at short notice, but Parker defeated him.
Daniel Dubois would likely have been a tougher opponent, but doctors advised him not to fight after examining him.
Dubois’ father, Dave, told Ring Magazine what happened.
He said, “Fight week was going well until Daniel got sick. Everything was perfect, and then he started feeling unwell a couple of days before the fight.”
“He had a virus, swollen glands, and an ear infection. The doctor advised him not to fight, saying, ‘I wouldn’t fight if I were you’. The doctor said he could fight, but he would feel the effects after three rounds.”
“He has had these issues before – swollen glands and viral infections. It’s been happening for about eight years, usually lasting three or four days, and then he recovers.”
“This time, it was just unfortunate timing that it happened two days before the fight. It was obviously very frustrating for him and for us.”
Dubois is not planning to reschedule the fight with Parker. His father mentioned that they are aiming for an even bigger fight.
He stated, “Next, he wants to fight Usyk. The Parker fight is frustrating, but he couldn’t fight with an infection. Usyk is who we are targeting next.”
Parker has a different perspective on Dubois’ withdrawal, calling the situation “weird” and suggesting possible alternative reasons for it.
During an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Parker said, “It feels weird because Daniel Dubois was at the public workout and then suddenly, he became really ill.”
“And there wasn’t a proper explanation, no doctor’s proof, nothing.”
“It feels a bit strange, especially since Oleksandr Usyk started calling out Dubois, saying he wants to fight him next around the same time.”
