Things are going from bad to worse for the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 fight card.
Just one day after Floyd Schofield Jr. was yanked from his Shakur Stevenson title fight, heavyweight titan Daniel Dubois has been forced to withdraw from his IBF title defense against Joseph Parker, according to Ariel Helwani, after suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Ring Magazine first reported the fight was in jeopardy and has since revealed that heavyweight hurters Lawrence Okolie, David Adeleye and Mourad Aliev are among the pugilists being considered to step in for the ailing “Dynamite;” however, nothing is official at this time.
The Dubois-Parker fight was of particular significance because the winner was expected to battle Oleksandr Usyk for the unified straps at some point later this year — one of only two remaining fights for the unbeaten Ukrainian “Cat” (who continues to lobby for this UFC champion).
Expect more on this still-developing story as the updates continue to trickle in. In the meantime, you can check out the modified Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 lineup, streaming this Sat. (Feb. 22, 2025) on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by clicking here.