British heavyweight star Daniel Dubois is back in action!

Nothing excites boxing fans like a world heavyweight title fight. And nothing excites British boxing fans like watching a top-quality British heavyweight in action. So prepare to get very excited, because Daniel Dubois is back in the ring this month as he puts his IBF belt on the line and faces down the challenge of Joseph Parker.

The Last Crescendo: Dubois v Parker takes place on Saturday 22 February and you can watch it live on TNT Sports Box Office with Virgin Media. The fight is being staged at the ANB Arena, formerly known as The Venue, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and promises to be a great night of boxing with an impressive undercard featuring world-class fighters including Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivo, Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofiel, and Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz.

With a potential rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in a unification bout on the cards for Dubois if he wins, there’s all to play for. And the experienced Parker, a former WBO world title holder, certainly shouldn’t be discounted. Here’s what you need to know.

Dubois suffered one of his two career losses when he met Usyk in August 2023. The Ukrainian stopped him in the ninth round, but the victory came with some controversy. Dubois put Usyk on the canvas in the fifth but his punch was ruled a low blow, giving Usyk more time to recover. The British fighter insisted it was a legitimate punch, a sentiment echoed by former world champ Carl Frampton – but the decision stood.

As IBF interim world champ, Dubois inherited the full title when Usyk vacated it in order to stage a rematch against Tyson Fury, and a defence was scheduled against Anthony Joshua. Despite his champion status, Dubois came to Wembley Stadium in November as the outsider – but he soon showed that up as nonsense when he knocked down AJ in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds, when the referee finally stepped in and declared Dubois the winner.

A rematch was mooted but Joshua, who hasn’t won a world title fight since 2020, declined and that opened the way for Parker. The 33-year-old New Zealander has claimed some impressive victories, including wins over Derek Chisora (twice), Deontay Wilder and most recently Zhang Zhilei. Parker is very much at home in the Kingdom Arena, where his last three fights have been staged, and his win over the much heavier Zhang showed he’s an intelligent, patient boxer who knows how best to time his key strikes.

Neither of these fighters has a reputation as a brash loudmouth, and some of their public statements have demonstrated mutual respect. Parker said Dubois “has shown the ability to go through hard times in the recent fights he’s had… He has shown grit, he has shown toughness.” Dubois admitted that he was impressed with Parker’s victory over Zhang, although he slipped in a dig about the Chinese fighter’s age (40) and fitness.

At the pre-fight press conference, however, the rivalry heated up. When Dubois said, “I’m going to do a demolition job against him and then I want Usyk next”, Parker accused him of not being focused on their meeting. “You might be looking too far ahead. You’ve got big fights. You’ve got one in front of you right now.”

Dubois countered, “I’ve got my mind firmly set on you,” and added, “I’ll be too much for him. Too strong, too fast. Everything he does, I’m going to do better.” He also jumped at the chance to provoke Parker when the Kiwi fighter said although he's been boxing “for a while”, he feels that he’s “only just begun now”.

“Good,” Dubois responded. “If you’ve just started, I’ll teach you a few things in there. Some lessons, some new skills.” They’re soft-spoken guys, but the needle was real.

Dubois’ fellow British heavyweight Lawrence Okolie told boxing website Seconds Out that he favours Dubois, but it’s going to be close. “Parker stylistically could cause him a lot of problems with his speed and experience. Dan’s got great power but it’s something he hasn’t seen before. I think Dan is on a roll right now so I do favour Dan, but I can just see how Parker could nullify and work his way to a points decision.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn, speaking to the New Zealand Herald, said he saw Parker as the likely winner. “I’m confident Joe will do whatever it takes to beat Dubois. He can counter effectively, has a solid chin, great speed, and is excellent at working against his opponent.”

As for the bookies, they’ve got Dubois as the firm favourite. But as plenty of opponents have found out before, you underestimate Parker at your peril.

It’s a terrific schedule of world title fights. In the co-headline bout, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol face off for the undisputed light heavyweight championship, four months on from their previous meeting, which Beterbiev won by majority decision. Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC lightweight belt against his fellow American Floyd Schofield, who’s as yet undefeated, while WBC middleweight champ Carlos Adames faces Hamzah Sheeraz.

There’s more heavyweight action too, as Parker’s last opponent Zhang returns to the ring to contest the vacant WBC interim championship against Agit Kabayel. And opening the event is an all-British light heavyweight bout between Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith.

You can see this heavyweight fight on TNT Sports Box Office with Virgin Media from 4pm on Saturday 22 February. It’s available to order from 10am on Tuesday 18 February and costs £19.99 (HD only). The event is repeated every three hours from 9am on Sunday 23 February until 9pm on Monday 24 February (last playout).

To watch this event, you must have a TiVo^® box, Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo^®, a Virgin TV 360 box or Flex.

TiVo^® and V6 customers: Go to Home > On Demand > Live Events or press On Demand and go to Live Events. Press the red button then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to On Demand > Live Events > Event Bookings.

Virgin TV 360 and Flex customers: Go to Home > Pay Per View Events rail. Press OK, then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to Home > Pay Per View Events rail.

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