As Joseph Parker feared, it seems heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk will fight Daniel Dubois next. Parker, on a great run of form and a fighter who was extremely confident ahead of his unfortunately pulled fight with IBF boss Dubois, has said he expects to be made to wait for his shot. And now, in speaking with The Ring, Dubois’s dad has made it clear his son and the whole team expect that rematch with Usyk will be the next fight.
Where Parker goes next, this as he is made to continue to play the waiting game, we don’t know (there is a chance, maybe, that Parker, who has earned his shot more than once, might have to “earn” it again, this by defeating Agit Kabayel; who should also be sitting pretty after his own recent run of success). But no-one will be surprised if it is Usyk-Dubois II next.
“Next, he wants Usyk, it’s frustrating about the Parker fight but he couldn’t fight with an infection. Usyk is who we’re going after next,” Stan Dubois said. “Fight week was going well until he became ill. He had a virus, he had swollen glands and an ear infection so the doctor told him ‘I wouldn’t fight if I was you.’ He [the doc] said, ‘you can fight, but after three rounds you’ll be feeling it.’ Obviously it was very frustrating.”
Usyk had said before the aborted Dubois-Parker fight that he had “no problem” fighting the winner. Now, Usyk seems ready to get it on with Dubois in a rematch that would see the Ukrainian have a chance of becoming a two-time, four-belt unified heavyweight champion.
Fans seem pretty much split when it comes to who they would like to see Usyk fight next, this between Dubois, Parker, and Kabayel. In truth, all three fighters are deserving – Dubois because he has the IBF belt, and because of the still-lingering ‘Dubois was cheated out of a body shot KO win in August of 2023’ claims. Parker because of his WBO mandatory status, to say nothing of his great run. And Kabayel because of his WBC mandatory status, to say nothing of HIS great run.
Who will Usyk pick? Or has Usyk already made his pick?
