Daniel Dubois will not be defending his IBF heavyweight world title in Riyadh tomorrow, as he has had to pull out due to a viral infection.

He was slated to defend the title, which he acquired following an inadequate defense from Aleksandr Usyk, against Joseph Parker, who is now being sought as a substitute in the main opening bout of the rematch for the absolute light heavyweight title, set between champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Dubois proved in September at Wembley that he is an exceptional fighter by defeating Anthony Joshua and retaining the title he clinched in June.

This situation also poses significant changes for WBC, WBO, and WBA titleholder, Ukrainian Usyk, who has declared his intention to plan a campaign to reclaim the IBF title in his subsequent fight against the victor of the Dubois and Parker match.

Parker’s potential opponents in the “Kingdom Arena” include Lawrence Okoli, David Adeleje, or Murad Aliyev.

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