Coach Andy Lee says Joseph Parker shall be able to combat IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on February twenty second if he doesn’t face Anthony Joshua. If that combat occurs subsequent, it is going to be big.
Promoter Eddie Hearn says Joshua needs the rematch towards Dubois however needs to attend to search out out what occurs with the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk II conflict on December twenty first. The Joshua-Dubois rematch isn’t doubtless as a result of AJ wants extra time to heal from his current loss.
Dubois could be a troublesome combat for the 32-year-old Parker, who has reworked his preventing fashion right into a artful Chris Byrd sort of fighter.
Nevertheless, even with that fashion, Parker might be up towards it, preventing the 27-year-old Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), appeared excellent in his final three fights, knocking out Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller, and getting robbed of a stoppage in his combat towards Oleksandr Usyk final 12 months in August 2023.
Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) captured the WBO interim title with a 12-round break up determination win over Zhilei Zhang on March eighth in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was knocked down twice in that combat.
For Parker to have any likelihood towards Dubois, he’ll have to be on his bike like he was in his wins over Zhang and Deontay Wilder. He was transferring continuously in these fights, attempting to evade the facility of these two massive punchers.
Even with all of the motion Parker used, Zhang dropped him twice and was fairly lucky to be given a win. Because of the controversy concerned, there ought to have been a rematch, however Parker is taking his win and is now seeking to combat Dubois.
Parker can’t depend on getting a choice primarily based on Dubois gassing like Zhang or being afraid to throw punches, as Wilder was Dubois shall be bringing it and seeking to take Parker’s head off with each shot.
“The #1 selection is Daniel Dubois towards Joseph Parker. However give me Daniel Dubois towards Martin Bakole proper now,” mentioned commentator Ade Oladipo on his channel.
