Dubois v Parker - all you need to know

Dubois v Parker – all you need to know

IBF champion Daniel Dubois will take on Joseph Parker on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

The Briton defends his world title against the New Zealand challenger, who will be aiming to become a two-time heavyweight world champion.

Dubois and Parker are just one part of a stellar card, which is headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between light-heavyweight stars Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Live text commentary will start at 19:00 GMT on fight night on the BBC Sport website and app.

Will Dubois remain world champion? Will Bivol get revenge against Beterbiev? Will British middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz win his maiden world title?

Everything you need to know about the exciting fight night packed with world-title action and 50/50 contests is below.

When is Dubois v Parker and what are the UK times?

It was just after 22:30 GMT when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk got their heavyweight contest under way in the last fight to happen in Riyadh.

However, ringwalk times in the Kingdom varied dramatically in 2024 and with such a stacked card, it could be a late night.

The first fight is set to start a 16:30, with Joshua Buatsi v Callum Smith kicking off the card.

Sheeraz is expected to fight around 19:30. Dubois v Parker is expected to get underway around 21:30.

Bivol and Beterbiev’s ringwalks are targeted for 22:15, meaning the fight will probably start around 22:30.

How to follow Dubois v Parker on the BBC?

You can follow live text commentary of the undercard including Dubois v Parker and all the build-up from 19:00 GMT.

BBC Sport will bring you daily coverage from Riyadh in fight week and Steve Bunce will deliver daily episodes of his 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast.

Who is on the Beterbiev v Bivol 2 undercard and what is the running order?

Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2 – WBA, WBO, IBF & WBC light-heavyweight world titles

Daniel Dubois v Joseph Parker – IBF heavyweight world title
Shakur Stevenson v Floyd Schofield – WBC lightweight world title
Carlos Adames v Hamzah Sheeraz – WBC middleweight world title
Vergil Ortiz Jr v Israil Madrimov – super-welterweight
Zhilei Zhang v Agit Kabayel – heavyweight
Joshua Buatsi v Callum Smith – light-heavyweight

What is the Dubois v Parker fight week schedule?

Tuesday – grand arrivals from 18:00 GMT

Wednesday – open workouts from 18:00

Thursday – news conference from 18:00

Friday – weigh-in from 18:00

How do Dubois and Parker’s records compare?

The biggest difference between Parker and Dubois is their level of experience.

Parker has 38 fights to Dubois’ 24 and has been in the ring with a host of top fighters including Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz, Deontay Wilder, Joe Joyce, Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora.

Parker’s biggest wins were against Zhang and Wilder, but Dubois’ record is also impressive. The Englishman has faced Joyce, Joshua, Jarrell Miller, Oleksandr Usyk and Filip Hrgovic with his biggest win coming against Joshua last September.

Both men have defeats on their record having both lost to Joyce and have often fallen just short at the highest level.

Parker, 33, has four world title fights to his name as a former WBO champion, while 27-year-old Dubois has two.

Dubois is the bigger puncher with 95% of his wins coming via stoppage, while Parker’s knockout rate is 66%.

Parker has proven he has an excellent chin, however, and has only been stopped once, by Joyce after 11 gruelling rounds.

Both men are also in fine form. Parker is on a five-fight winning streak, seemingly in the midst of a purple patch.

Dubois has won his past three bouts, all by knockout, and appears finally primed to fulfil his obvious potential.

What belts are on the line for Dubois v Parker and Beterbiev v Bivol 2?

Beterbiev and Bivol will contest every major world title in their rematch, with the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC light-heavyweight belts up for grabs.

In the co-main event, Dubois will defend his heavyweight IBF title for the second time against Parker.

What happened the first time Beterbiev & Bivol fought?

Beterbiev won the first contest on points by a narrow margin in October last year.

One judge scored the contest a 114-114 draw, with the other scorecards reading 115-113 and 116-112 to Beterbiev.

The public was split on who came out on top after 12 rounds, with the likes of Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn saying he was “disgusted” by the decision.

The fight itself swung back and forth, with both men enjoying success. Beterbiev had success with body shots and landed more power punches in the second half of the contest. He peaked in the 11th round with 17 of the 21 punches he landed power shots.

Bivol leaned heavily on his movement and jab. His accuracy with total punches landed was better than Beterbiev’s in every single round.

Both men were hurt in the seventh round, but neither was able to secure what would have been a crucial knockdown.

The bout was contested at a ferocious pace, with 1,105 combined punches thrown. Bivol landed more, 142 punches to Beterbiev’s 137. But Beterbiev landed more power shots, 90 to Bivol’s 84.

That said, Bivol was more accurate in his punching landing 34% overall and 50% of his power shots, while Beterbiev managed 20% overall and 29% of his power shots.

The statistics tell the story of a razor-close contest, setting up the prospect of another classic in the rematch.

Beterbiev v Bivol 2 predictions

Heavyweight Delicious Orie: “Beterbiev does it again. They are both so experienced but Beterbiev has that power and raw strength to push his opponent back.”

Swedish fighter Otto Wallin: “Really tough to call, It’s a 50/50 fight. The first fight was close and I’m sure this one will be as well but Beterbiev got the win the first time so I’m sure he can do it again.”