THE heavyweight scene is set for a changing of the guard over the next 18 months following news that Oleksandr Usyk will retire after just two more outings. IBF champion Daniel Dubois, 21-2 (20 KOs), could leave himself well poised to replace the Ukrainian as top dog with a win here. A rematch against Usyk is almost guaranteed should he be successful on Saturday night.
However, former WBO world champion Joseph Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), is confident that he can derail the ambitions plans of the powerful Brit and replace Dubois in the potential undisputed title showdown with Usyk later this year, and with good reason why.
Dubois was written off by the masses when he took a knee and surrendered to Joe Joyce in 2020. Yet, four straight knockout wins saw ‘Triple D’ thrust himself into a clash against unified champion Usyk in 2023; losing by stoppage in the ninth round after a much-debated low blow floored Usyk for almost four minutes prior, but to no avail.
Once again, defeat kickstarted another impressive run for the hard-hitting fan-favourite, halting Jarrell Miller and then upsetting the odds to stop Filip Hrgovic in a bid for the IBF interim title – which was later upgraded to the full IBF world title.
To cap off a phenomenal nine-month spell, ‘Dynamite’ Dubois would then explode into British heavyweight poster boy Anthony Joshua in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley Stadium, scoring a dominant career-best win that saw him emerge as a global superstar and cement his worth as a heavyweight world champion.
Now more confident than ever, Dubois stormed into the ring to demand a rematch with Usyk after the latter’s victory over Tyson Fury in December, and it appears as though Usyk has accepted the challenge. Although, the not-so-small task of Joseph Parker is more than a potential stumbling block.
Similarly to Dubois, Parker’s chances of returning to the heavyweight throne were dismissed when he too fell victim to the then-unstoppable Joyce in 2022, despite obvious improvements since teaming up with trainer Andy Lee.
The New Zealander would sharpen the tools with the former middleweight world champion during the aftermath and string together three victories before the monumental opportunity to face Deontay Wilder arose as ‘The Bronze Bomber’ geared up for his long-awaited meeting with ‘AJ’.
As is so often the case in boxing, Wilder’s plans quickly became null as Parker embarrassed him for all of 12 rounds, whitewashing the American in a one-sided boxing clinic to put an end to talks of Joshua-Wilder before following up the win with another surprise victory when outpointing Zhilei Zhang by majority-decision just 10 weeks later.
Although Parker has not fought since that March meeting with Zhang, additional time with Andy Lee by his side means further development can be expected as he seeks to play the role of disruptor again, favouring his boxing 101 style over the front-footed, ill-intention approach of the champion.
For him, the plan appears to be a simple one, with a similar tactical approach to the one that trumped Zhang to be expected – survival of an early onslaught being key.
Dubois has gone past the fifth round just five times in his career and lost on two of those occasions. Although Hrgovic had well-reported success with the straight right hand early in their meeting when going toe-to-toe, he ultimately got beaten down by the eighth.
Therefore, if Parker can make Dubois work in the early stages of the fight, preserve his energy and box off the jab, a punch that has caused both of Dubois’ knockout defeats, there is every chance that Parker could either take control of the second half of the contest or even register a late stoppage.
Meanwhile, Dubois is seemingly left with two options: either backing himself with the pedal-to-the-medal mindset that cruelly dealt with Joshua to end their bout early or a more conservative and measured approach that leaves him with plenty in the tank for the latter stages against the assumably back-footed challenger, who will likely have slowed down and be easier to hit as he tires down the stretch.
Either way, a fascinating scrap can be expected, and the winner will fully deserve their shot at Usyk later in the calendar, as Dubois and Parker each seek to steal the show on one of the most salivating boxing cards of all-time.
