Martin Bakole will bid to seize a shock chance with both hands against Joseph Parker tonight at Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo , live on DAZN Pay-Per-View .
The New Zealander had been expected to challenge for the IBF heavyweight title before Daniel Dubois was forced to withdraw from their bout on Thursday through illness .
That has opened the door for Congolese fighter Bakole to step in at short notice , with Parker now set to battle for the WBO interim world title after his designation last month.
On a fight card dubbed the greatest of all-time, it means the latter enters without hopes of a full crown - and with plenty to risk against a dangerous star on the rise too.
DAZN News has everything you need to know ahead of Joseph Parker against Martin Bakole.
Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole fight date, start time
Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole will take place on Saturday, February 22 at Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo, with the whole card set to be shown live on DAZN.
The main fight card and DAZN broadcast will begin at 7:00pm KSA; 4:00pm GMT; 11:00am ET; 8:00am PT.
Parker against Bakole will start at 12:40am KSA; 9:40pm GMT; 4:40pm ET; 1:40pm PT.
- Date : Saturday, February 22
- Time : 7:00pm KSA; 4:00pm GMT; 11:00am ET; 8:00am PT
- Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole ringwalks (approx) : 12:40am KSA; 9:40pm GMT; 4:40pm ET; 1:40pm PT
| Fight | KSA | GMT | ET | PT |
| Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 | 2:00am | 11:00pm | 6:00pm | 3:00pm |
| Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole | 12:40am | 9:40pm | 4:40pm | 1:40pm |
| Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley | 11:35pm | 8:35pm | 3:35pm | 12:35am |
| Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz | 10:35pm | 7:35pm | 2:35pm | 11:35am |
| Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov | 9:40pm | 6:40pm | 1:40pm | 10:40am |
| Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel | 8:40pm | 5:40pm | 12:40pm | 9:40am |
| Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith | 7:45pm | 4:45pm | 11:45am | 8:45am |
Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole fight card
- Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol ; Undisputed light heavyweight title fight, for Beterbiev's WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts
- Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole ; For Parker's WBO interim world title
- Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley ; For Stevenson's WBC lightweight title
- Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz ; For Adames' WBC middleweight title
- Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov ; For Ortiz Jr's WBC world interim super welterweight title
- Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel ; For the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
- Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith ; For Buatsi's WBO light heavyweight interim titl e
How to watch Parker vs Bakole?
Joseph Parker versus Martin Bakole and the whole fight card at The Last Crescendo, including Beterbiev vs Bivol 2, will be available through DAZN Pay-Per-View.
The PPV is available to buy now at £19.99 in UK and $25.99 in US .
Buying the DAZN PPV offers a range of extra benefits. including alternative commentary options with Adam Smith or True Geordie or Showbizz the Adult ; local language commentary, and (for UK only) entry to a prize draw for tickets to Chris Eubank Jr. vs Connor Benn*.
Watch the fight night anywhere with DAZN via smart TV's, smartphones, tablets, games consoles, streaming devices and PC's / laptops.
Buying the Last Crescendo PPV provides a free seven-day trial of the full DAZN platform, with access to all boxing content, plus live action across football, golf, tennis, motorsport and more**.
For PPV costs in your country and to buy now, click here .
*UK only. Restrictions apply. See T&Cs on help.dazn.com. Full T&C's here
**Sports available in free trial dependent on country of residence
Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole tale of the tape
Joseph Parker record
- Nationality : New Zealander
- Age : 33
- Height : 6' 4"
- Reach : 76"
- Total fights : 38
- Record : 35-3 (23 KOs)
Martin Bakole record and bio
- Nationality: Congolese
- Age: 31
- Height : 6' 6"
- Reach: 77"
- Total fights : 22
- Record: 21-1 (16 KOs)
Joshua Parker vs Martin Bakole form and history
Former WBO world champion Joseph Parker has enjoyed a remarkable revival of his boxing career.
After a loss to Joe Joyce in September 2022, it looked like the end of the road at the top end for Paker, but he has rebuilt with several fantastic performances since then.
Most notably, he scored major decision victories over two of the division's other top names, in Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, to restore his standing and help set up this bout.
After going 9-0 at the start of his career, Martin Bakole eventually suffered his first loss in 2018 to Michael Hunter via TKO in the tenth-round.
However, the Congolese athlete has responded by winning his next 10 fights.
Bakole last fought in August 2024, his only fight of the year. He took on the unbeaten American Jared Anderson in Los Angeles
Bakole put in an impressive display, recording a fifth-round knockout, having already sent Anderson to the mat in round one and earlier in the fifth.
Since then Bakole has been waiting for his chance to battle the very top of the heavyweight division, with some pundits believing potential contenders were deliberately avoiding the fighter after his recent destructive displays.
Where is the Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole fight?
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has fast become the de-facto home for Riyadh Season super-cards.
The 27,000-capacity stadium, certified as the largest covered football stadium in the world by the Guinness World Records , is the home of Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
It previously hosted both of Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's heavyweight bouts, plus the first undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
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