As fans know, Britain’s unbeaten Hughie Fury was forced to pull out of his scheduled May 6 challenge of reigning WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker due to injury, leaving Team-Parker pretty much fuming – and looking for a late replacement challenger.
The show may still go on, and The New Zealand Herald has reported how US contender and former IBF title challenger Dominic Breazeale is one of the fighters in the frame for the fight early next month (just under two weeks away). Breazeale, beaten only by British star Anthony Joshua, holds decent wins over Amir Mansour and the tricky Fred Kassi, while in his last fight in February, he engaged in a thrilling slugfest that saw him beat Parker’s stablemate, Izu Ugonoh.
And Dave Higgins, Parker’s promoter, spoke of “Trouble,” as the towering Breazeale is known, being a possibility.
“Any heavyweight worth their salt dreams of fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world,” Higgins said. “We need to look for someone who has been in camp because Joseph wants a challenge and thankfully we’ve got a few options. If we continue we’re putting on an opponent at least as good as Hughie Fury, if not better.”
Higgins did not list the other name on the short-list of possible challengers, but if Breazele, 18-1(16) does take the fight, it will likely result in a good action affair. Breazeale, as he has shown a number of times, can punch, is dangerous and is not in any way lacking in heart and courage.
We can expect an announcement soon.
In the meantime, Higgins is still furious with Team-Fury for not even getting in touch with him regarding the Fury fight being off.
“Frank Warren is talking in the media as if this fight is going to happen later in the year offshore. It’s flabbergasting – he’s saying that without even having spoken to us, so I’m furious,” Higgins said.
As the WBO mandatory, Fury may still get the fight with Parker later this year, but Higgins said that “there will be some politicking going on.” Higgins wants to see medical evidence of Fury’s injury; reportedly a lower back injury.
