Joseph Parker, denied another world title shot recently due to the reliably murky dealings of professional boxing, is in negotiations over his next fight which will probably be against an Englishman in the United Kingdom in September.
It won’t be against Londoner Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion who suddenly became ill and unable to fight Parker in Dubai in February, an affliction which coincided with the arrival in Riyadh of WBC, WBA and WBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Dubois will fight Usyk to unify the heavyweight championship at Wembley Stadium on July 20 NZT, leaving Parker, ranked No.2 by the WBO behind Usyk, kicking his heels on another world title shot until next year at the earliest should he get through his next assignment.
His team are currently talking through the options in terms of opponents and there are several, including former foes Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte, plus former cruiserweight world champion Lawrence Okolie.
Parker’s manager David Higgins told 1News: “We’re in negotiations. At this stage all I can say is that it’s a big name. It’s a proper main event.”
Parker beat Chisora, now 41, twice in Manchester in 2021 and would be the least attractive opponent from a fans’ point of view.
There would be interest in a rematch against Whyte, however, after the Londoner beat Parker in controversial fashion in 2018 four months after the Kiwi lost his WBO world title to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff.
Whyte got the better of an accidental head clash between the pair in the second round at London’s O2 Arena, a heavy blow that was ruled a legitimate knockdown by referee Ian John-Lewis.
Parker rallied bravely and sent Whyte to the canvas in the 12th and final round, but effectively ran out of time and his rival was awarded an unanimous decision.
Parker has made it clear that he would welcome the chance for revenge against Whyte, who failed a drugs test in 2023 but was last year cleared after he was found to have taken a contaminated supplement.
Okolie, considered the fourth best heavyweight in the United Kingdom behind Dubois, Tyson Fury and Joshua, is a 32-year-old former cruiserweight with a 21-1 professional record.
Fights against Whyte and Okolie would have merit for Parker, but the biggest name of the lot, in the absence of the “retired” Fury, his good friend, would be Joshua, the man who took his world title.
Joshua has been inactive since losing to Dubois in London in September last year but is back training and a fight between he and Parker would genuinely be, in Higgins’ words, a “proper main event”.
It would clearly be hugely risky for Parker, who is on a hugely impressive six-fight winning streak, including a second-round knockout of Dubois' late replacement Martin Bakole, but he has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Joshua’s stocks have fallen significantly since he lost his world title to Usyk in 2021 and the re-match a year later. He regained momentum with a four-fight winning streak that included a stunning first-round knockout defeat of UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou but was exposed by Dubois at Wembley six months later.
Joshua was dropped four times in five rounds by Dubois, the final knockdown coming via a right cross which scrambled his senses.
He was once the biggest name in boxing but after such a beating – and that’s what it was – Joshua may need a less challenging opponent than Parker, now 36-3 as a pro, as a comeback fight.
Whoever it is, Higgins said he would like the contract signed as soon as possible for Parker, 33, to return to Dublin for what is likely to be a 10-week training camp with coach Andy Lee.
“You never know in boxing,” Higgins said when asked about a time frame. “Our goal is to get it signed and sealed soon.”
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