Frank Warren reveals what caused Daniel Dubois to withdraw from fight
Frank Warren lifts lid on what caused Daniel Dubois to be pulled from fight
IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has pulled out of Saturday’s title fight against New Zealand’s Joseph Parker due to a virus - leaving Frank Warren angry at online trolls targeting Dubois.
Dubois was set to do battle with Kiwi Parker tomorrow in Riyadh to defend the IBF heavyweight belt but pulled out just 48 hours because of illness. The 27-year-old Londoner was assessed by doctors in Riyadh, who ruled him unfit to compete.
In a whirlwind few hours, Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole stepped in to replace Dubois with the fight still set to go ahead on DAZN.
However, Dubois felt he was well enough to fight, but the Board of Control doctors declared him unfit to fight.
Speaking to boxing betting site, Parimatch, Warren said: “Daniel felt he had a bit of a cold. He saw a local Saudi doctor and was given medication and had to make sure none of the ingredients were on the banned list.
“He was desperate to fight and is very peed off about it but a boxer’s health is paramount and if you aren’t fit to fight, then don’t fight.”
In the wake of the news, social media trolls were blasting Dubois for pulling out and Warren fully defended his man.
He added: “Daniel was getting an unbelievable purse so it is very disappointing but it is what it is.
“To these people that are trolling Daniel - get a life and live in the real world. We paid for a good camp and went through everything in the last few months and if you don’t fight, you don’t get paid.”
Out of Pocket
From the expense of a lengthy training camp, dieticians, physio sessions, losses from sponsorship and pay-per-view money, the decision to pull out cannot have been an easy one for the London native.
Data experts at CasinoHawks have carefully estimated just how much Dubois could potentially lose from withdrawing from his first official defence as champion.
Here's a breakdown of the financial hit he might have taken:
Lost Fight Purse & PPV Revenue:
Guaranteed Purse: £2.5 million
PPV Share (60%): Estimated at $4 million based on 850k buys
Total Estimated Earnings Lost: $6.5 million
Training Camp Costs:
Coaches & Trainers: £80,000+ (head coach, assistant trainers, strength & conditioning, nutritionist)
Sparring Partners: £40,000+ (high-level heavyweights brought in for training)
Travel & Accommodation: £40,000+ (if camp is held abroad)
Other Expenses: £40,000+ (supplements, recovery, logistics, management fees)
A fair estimate would be £250,000 to £400,000 spent on this camp, all of which is a sunk cost.
Sponsorship & Future Negotiations
Sponsors like Adidas, Boxraw, 32Red, and Footasylum may have structured deals around fight-week exposure and TV appearances, meaning Dubois could miss out on six-figure bonuses or activation incentives.
Future fight negotiations may take a hit if promoters and sponsors see him as a higher-risk investment.
Total Financial Loss
Lost Earnings: £6.5 million
Training Camp Costs: £250,000 to £400,000
Potential Sponsorship Losses & Future Impact: £500,000 (estimated)
Estimated total loss: £8 million - £9.5 million
