Joseph Parker celebrates beating Martin Bakole. Photo: Mark Robinson/Getty Images
Analysis - Joseph Parker certainly didn't have to take on Martin Bakole in Riyadh, but instead put in a performance that perhaps showed just how pissed off the whole, strange situation had made him.
The Congolese fighter, who came to the ring at a whopping 140kgs, bore the brunt of that frustration when he copped an overhand right to his skull in the second round. Parker's punch was enough to drop Bakole, make him stagger back to his feet and for the ref to wisely wave off the contest, handing Parker his 36th career win.
So much for the 'dangerous' tag that'd been attached to Bakole, who tasted defeat for the first time in his career. You can't blame him for the slightly farcical outcome, after all he'd said yes on two days' notice and had to make what's presumably a not-so-straightforward journey from Kinshasa to Riyadh.
The most frustrating thing is just how good Parker looked. He came in at 121kgs, the heaviest he's ever been for a fight, but that's what he would've needed to take it to his original opponent Daniel Dubois. Friday's announcement that Dubois was sick immediately started chatter about just how convenient it is that the Briton would miss this one, given how lucrative his ownership of the IBF world title now is given Oleksandr Usyk is keen for an undisputed reunification fight.
Joseph Parker punches Martin Bakole during the WBO Interim World Heavyweight title fight. Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
All of a sudden, the fight against Parker didn't look that appealing, for reasons in and out of the ring. Had Dubois lost, Parker would've found himself in a very powerful spot in the heavyweight division, with no clear ambition other than to make the most of it. Dubois had already signalled his intention to challenge Usyk for the WBO, WBA and IBO titles the undefeated Ukrainian holds.
It didn't help that promoter Frank Warren basically admitted that Dubois pulling out was a very advantageous outcome for him too.
"I feel the perverse thing out of it is we've got more of an option now," Warren told Sky Sports, with 'perverse' being an interestingly honest way of describing it.
"I'd like to see the rematch with Usyk. That's an option, if it can be done I'd love that. But then we've got Joe Parker, we've got AJ (Anthony Joshua), who's got over his injury and he may want to do it now with the fact he's been ill, who knows?"
Frank Warren pretends to face off with Joseph Parker. Photo: Mark Robinson/Photosport
Who knows indeed? Fellow promoter Eddie Hearn said that Joshua "would love another crack" at Dubois, after the two met last October. Dubois knocked out Joshua in the fifth round in a stunning result, so the appetite from the viewing public is high for a rematch.
Under the IBF's rules, Dubois is obliged to reschedule his fight with Parker or drop the title. But as we saw with the Zhilei Zhang situation last year, in which Parker handily beat the Chinese heavyweight and was supposed to have an automatic rematch, things can change pretty fast. The problem is Parker's market share, as much as he is loved and respected in this part of the world, a match up between Dubois and Usyk or Joshua is going to make more money.
So it feels like Parker may well be consigned to the co-main event again for the time being, which shows just how cold the boxing world can be when it really comes down to the nuts and bolts. He's won his last six fights in a row, done everything that's been asked of him and deserves a turn calling his own shots. Parker had nice words to say about Saudi Arabia and the financial behemoth now funding the sport, because he knows full well that if he does stay in the spot he is, at least he'll be getting well compensated for it.
Whatever happens, it should be known pretty quick. Warren, Hearn, Turki Al-Sheikh and everyone else involved can get the ball rolling fast in this new era of boxing, so at least it's a positive that Parker will be fresh for the next challenge after only having to put in four minutes' worth of work in the ring against Bakole.
