JOSEPH PARKER admits he’s in the dark over his immediate fighting future – despite being the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title.
The New Zealander has been the mandatory challenger for the prestigious brown belt held by Oleksandr Usyk for over a year.
GETTYOleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will renew their rivalry on Saturday night for all the heavyweight marbles[/caption]
GETTYJoseph Parker is the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBO belt and in pole position to fight the winner of the Wembley war[/caption]
GETTYBut the New Zealander is in the dark over the possibility of fighting the winner of Usyk and Dubois’ rematch[/caption]
Parker’s position as the WBO mandatory has, seemingly, put him in pole position to fight the winner of Usyk’s undisputed straightner with Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday night
But after being snubbed by Usyk in favour of a rematch with Dubois, the 33-year-old is refusing to count his chickens.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: “I know Frank Warren said a few things that I might be next to fight for undisputed unification.
“But there were no discussions. And for me, it’s just words at the moment.
“It’d be nice to get something in writing and to get something solid. But at the moment, it’s just words.
“If it can happen, I’ll be extremely over the moon.”
Usyk’s fighting future is currently the talk of boxing fans, with many believing the 38-year-old could hang up his gloves this weekend.
The undefeated Ukrainian could, however, be tempted to stick around for a trilogy fight with rival Tyson Fury, who insists the pair are set to duke it out at Wembley next April.
Usyk vs Dubois 2 – All the info
OLEKSANDR USYK and Daniel Dubois meet again in a blockbuster heavyweight unification fight at Wembley Stadium THIS SATURDAY!
Usyk won the first fight in August 2023 via a ninth round KO – but only after Dubois knocked him to the canvas with a body blow that was ruled a low blow.
Dubois, 27, has improved massively since that first meeting, reeling off stunning wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.
Watch Usyk vs Dubois 2 LIVE on DAZN
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the big fight…
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Parker would love to test himself against the best heavyweight of his generation before he walks away.
So much so that he tried to convince the fan favourite to share the ring with him before he calls it quits during a chance encounter at a bareknuckle boxing event in Florence in April.
He said: “I saw Uysk in Italy last week. And I walked up to him and said,’ Hey, you got two fights left.
“‘Why don’t you fight Dubois and fight me?’ He just laughed it off. He didn’t really reply.
“And then now, I’m seeing that he’s calling out Tyson and [Anthony] Joshua for his last fight in his career.”
Former WBO champ Parker has a theory on why Usyk wasn’t receptive to his face-to-face callout.
He said: “Maybe he’s looking for the bigger and sort of financial-making fights. I’m not quite sure.”
INSTAGRAM@POSSA_BAICEJoseph Parker recently tried to convince Oleksandr Usyk to fight him in a brief chat in Florence[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
