Tyson Fury has been vocal about his preference for Oleksandr Usyk‘s next opponent, backing Joseph Parker to get the fight over Daniel Dubois.
The ‘Gypsy King’ expressed his support for the New Zealander on Instagram, saying: “About time as well. Give Joseph Parker his shot,” after it was announced that Usyk and Parker have a 30-day window to agree on a fight before the WBO initiates purse bid proceedings.
Following the news, Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, told Sky Sports: “We have no idea whether or not it will happen next. But I can tell you this. I’ve spoken to Joseph Parker today and he would love to fight for a world title. He will fight anyone, anywhere for a world title.” Higgins continued: “That’s his goal, to fight for a world title. Joseph is patiently waiting, keeping fit, and if an opportunity comes to fight for a title, he would love to grab it. We’d take it in a heartbeat.”
That said, heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois could disrupt these plans. It was announced on Tuesday morning that Dubois and Usyk are close to finalising a deal for an epic undisputed title bout this summer. ‘Triple D’ had been set to fight Parker in February in Saudi Arabia, but had to pull out just days before due to illness, reports All Out Fighting.
According to Ring Magazine, Dubois and Usyk are prepared to go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium on July 12. The news was released via X – previously known as Twitter: “Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois are in the process of finalising a deal for a Ring Magazine and undisputed heavyweight championship rematch July 12 at London’s Wembley Stadium, sources told The Ring’s Mike Coppinger.”
The WBO confirmed to Sky Sports that a petition for the clash between Usyk and Dubois to go ahead has been submitted to their Championship Committee. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri told the outlet: “There is a petition before the Championship Committee to consider a Usyk-Dubois unification to consolidate the heavyweight championships. Therefore, upon an official ruling regarding this matter, we will publicly announce the official decision, including Parker’s mandatory status, if that be the case.”
Earlier in the month, Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk disclosed that they prefer a rematch with Dubois over a mandatory defence against Parker. “If undisputed makes itself possible – it will be the priority,” he stated. He also indicated that further information would be available soon: “We will come to know it within the next couple of days.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
