Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole: Fight date, ring walk time, fight card, profiles and last fights

Everything you need to know as Martin Bakole steps in to fight Joseph Parker on the stacked 'Last Crescendo' card in Saudi Arabia on Saturday 22nd February.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Parker was all set to face reigning IBF king Daniel Dubois in a mouth-watering title fight this weekend.

But an illness 48 hours before the bout has forced Dubois to withdraw from his eagerly-anticipated title defence.

His replacement is the Congolese bruiser Bakole and while this weekend will no longer be a title fight, there is every chance that Bakole could stamp his authority on the blue-riband division.

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole - All You Need To Know

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole - Date

The showdown between New Zealand's Joseph Parker and Congo's Martin Bakole will take place on Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole - Ring walks & Fight Time

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole is scheduled to get underway at around 22:00 GMT.

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole - Venue

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole will take place at the 30,000 capacity Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The state-of-the-art, purpose-built venue has already housed some of boxing's biggest fights of all time including Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk 1, Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 1 and Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou.

Joseph Parker profile, record & last fight

Nationality:	New Zealand
Age:	32
Height:	6ft 4ins
Reach:	76ins
Total Fights:	38
Record:	35-3 (23 KOs)
Last Fight:	Won (MD) v Zhilei Zhang (08/03/24)

Martin Bakole profile, record & last fight

Nationality:	Congo
Age:	31
Height:	6ft 3ins
Reach:	77ins
Total Fights:	22
Record:	21-1 (16 KOs)
Last Fight:	Won (KO - 5th Round) v Jared Anderson (03/08/24)

Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole - Full Fight Card

• Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2 (Undisputed light-heavyweight championship)
• Joseph Parker v Martin Bakole (heavyweight bout)
• Shakur Stevenson v Josh Padley (WBC lightweight title)
• Carlos Adames v Hamzah Sheeraz (WBC middleweight title)
• Vergil Ortiz Jr v Israil Madrimov (WBC 'interim' super-welterweight title)
• Joshua Buatsi v Callum Smith (WBO 'interim' light-heavyweight title)
• Zhilei Zhang v Agit Kabayel (WBC 'interim' heavyweight title)

Riyadh Season 'The Last Crescendo': Full fight card, date, fight times, venue, ticket information, how to watch, PPV cost & more