Daniel Dubois has won his last three fights since losing to Oleksandr Usyk (Image: Getty)
Daniel Dubois spent a fortune on his training camp and missed out on a huge payday after pulling out of his slated heavyweight title fight with Joseph Parker.
The pair were due to face off in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night but a viral infection saw Dubois medically advised to withdraw only two days before the first bell. Dangerous stand-in Martin Bakole took the Brit’s place but he was knocked out in three rounds as Parker continued his winning streak.
According to , Dubois lost out on an eye-watering £7million as a result of his last-minute decision not to fight. That accounts for the lucrative purse he was not paid, and the vast sums committed to a lengthy training camp.
Dubois’ estimated reportedly stood at £3.8m before his fight with Anthony Joshua last September. That figure will have increased dramatically following his knockout win over AJ, but the extra £7m that could have headed his way will still be a painful loss.
Rather than Parker getting his rematch, Dubois is in negotiations to fight Oleksandr Usyk for a second time, after being knocked out by the Ukrainian in the summer of 2023.
Dubois’ stock has shot up since their first meeting, and the fact their prospective second would be for all of the heavyweight belts means that Saudi organisers would have no trouble making it a huge money-spinner.
Joseph Parker is still yearning for another world title shot (Image: Getty)
The outlook is not so exciting for Parker, who now faces the reality of another interim fight before getting a crack at the world title. The New Zealander is desperate to be champion of the world for a second time and still holds out hope of Usyk vs Dubois rematch plans falling through.
“It sucks not fighting for the world championship,” he told . “Since I lost it in 2018, I’ve been working so hard to get back to fighting for the title. I’ve had heaps of ups and downs and times when people said I should have stopped and given up.
“To get the chance to fight for it, and then it vanishes in front of you two days before the fight… now the fight is done, it doesn’t feel right. I feel a bit angry.
“How can you set up this unification fight with Usyk and Dubois when he had a fight locked in with me? It should be that I fight Dubois now I’ve beaten Bakole. I haven’t given up. I was right there – nearly being able to grab a world title.”