Joseph Parker after beating Martin Bakole to retain his WBO interim title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker will fight the undisputed heavyweight world champion winner of the Oleksandr Usyk v Daniel Dubois fight in London in July, promoter Frank Warren says.
Unbeaten Ukrainian Usyk - the WBA, WBC and WBO champion - and Britain's IBF champion Dubois are fighting a four-belt showdown at London's Wembley Stadium on 19 July.
Dubois, 27, had been set to face former WBO world champion and current interim champion Parker in Saudi Arabia last February but withdrew from the fight due to illness.
Warren's Queensberry Promotions represents both Parker and Dubois.
"With Joe Parker, the WBO just put a mandate out saying that the winner of this fight (Usyk v Dubois) has to defend against the WBO mandatory challenger, which is Joe Parker," Warren told Sky Sports television.
"People might be saying 'Oh, Joe must be peed off he's not fighting Daniel'.
"Well, he'll be fighting for four belts now. Whoever wins it (the undisputed title fight), which I hope is going to be our man (Dubois), they'll be challenging for four belts so he's in a better place."
The WBO agreed 'in the best interests of boxing' to Usyk fighting Dubois rather than its mandatory challenger Parker but has said the New Zealander remained top of the list of challengers once the titles were unified.
Parker won the WBO title in 2016. He lost it to Anthony Joshua in a unified world championship bout in 2018. He is termed interim WBO champion, a title introduced when the actual holder is unable to fight.
Parker won the interim title when he outpointed Zhilei Zhang in March, 2024.
He retained it in February this year when he beat Martin Bakole, a late replacement for an ill Dubois, by second round TKO.
- Reuters
