Oleksandr Usyk will face Daniel Dubois for the undisputed heavyweight championship this summer, and Anthony Joshua knows the man who should get the winner.
Usyk beat Dubois back in 2023 before becoming undisputed by handing Tyson Fury his first loss. In order to honour the contractual rematch clause, he dropped the IBF belt, which was picked up by Dubois and defended by knocking Joshua out inside 5 rounds. They will now rematch on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.
Speaking to Box Nation, ‘AJ’ – who has also lost to Usyk twice – was asked if he was targetting a shot against the winner of the rematch but said Joseph Parker is more deserving.
“Do you want me to be completely honest with you? Parker deserves it more than me right now.”
Former WBO Champion Parker was days away from facing Dubois for the IBF belt in February before the champion pulled out with illness. He was then called as Usyk’s mandatory, so missed out on both men as they struck a deal for their undisputed rematch.
The WBO is first in the rotation of mandatory challengers, so Parker will indeed get his shot. Who that comes against remains to be seen, with Usyk making it clear that he has one fight left after his and he may vacate the belts, if he wins, for a more high profile bout.
Should Dubois win, he could move straight into a defence against Parker. If he chooses a bigger name like Joshua or Tyson Fury, Parker could fight for the vacant belt against another top contender.
