Daniel Dubois’ trainer breaks silence after pulling out of Joseph Parker fight, sets record straight on illness rumors

Daniel Dubois' IBF heavyweight title fight against Joseph Parker was highly anticipated, but the Brit had to withdraw due to illness. In his absence, Parker faced Martin Bakole on short notice, winning the fight easily via knockout.

Interestingly, Parker levied some serious allegations against Dubois after the fight in an interview with Ariel Helwani. The Kiwi speculated that his Brit counterpart willingly pulled out to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title.

In a recent interview Fight Hub TV, Dubois' coach Don Charles dismissed the rumors. Breaking the silence about the matter, Charles said:

"Daniel's fairing up, you know. He had a fever, and the two doctors examined him and said, on their recommendation, we pull him out of the fight. When the doctor says to you, "We don't recommend that you go ahead with it," we'd be foolish and macho to then go forward."

The veteran coach stated that their job was to protect the fighter. Further proving his point, Dubois' coach mentioned they ignored the career-high purse with the decision to protect the health of the IBF heavyweight champion.

With Oleksandr Usyk expressing interest in a rematch, Daniel Dubois could still get a shot at the undisputed title. Although Dubois lost their first encounter, he made an impact by knocking Usyk down with a controversial blow that the referee ruled as low.

Check out Daniel Dubois' coach Don Charles' comments below (5:10):

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Daniel Dubois' coach shares thoughts on Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole

Martin Bakole's expectation to upset the odds against Joseph Parker didn't come to fruition as he suffered a second round TKO loss, snapping his 10-fight winning streak. Bakole fought Parker on just two days' notice, replacing Daniel Dubois.

Dubois' coach Don Charles was recently asked about the fight on his interview with Fight Hub TV. Apparently, Charles didn't expect much from Bakole.

He said [6:19]:

"What is there to make of it? He has to be given credit because he took it. He turned up believing he was going to just walk through Parker, who had been in camp for 14 weeks. Highly unlikely, especially when he's at that much of a weight disadvantage."

Nonetheless, Charles praised Bakole for stepping up and saving the fight card, claiming many others wouldn't do the same.