WITH IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois expected to enter a stadium fight this summer, all that fans are waiting to hear is the announcement of an opponent.
The 27-year-old was supposed to square off against in-form contender Joseph Parker last month before withdrawing from their clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to an illness.
Instead, Parker retained his WBO interim strap following a two-round demolition over late replacement Martin Bakole, cementing his position as the mandatory challenger for heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
Since then, Usyk has been ordered by the WBO to begin negotiations for a title defence against the New Zealander.
Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren, however, has expressed far more interest in delivering an undisputed dustup between the formidable Ukrainian and Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs).
But at the same time, Warren, who also promotes Parker, acknowledges that the potential matchup must first be approved by the WBO.
And so, should the Usyk fight fail to materialise, heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora represents a likely option for Dubois’ next outing.
The 41-year-old comes off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Otto Wallin who, by producing a largely passive performance, provided the aging bruiser with no real threat.
As a result, Chisora, 36-13 (23 KOs), moved up seven places in the IBF rankings and has now, in turn, become the mandatory challenger for Dubois’ red and gold belt.
Dubois, meanwhile, has not fought since his stunning fifth-round stoppage victory over Anthony Joshua last September, but nonetheless remains one of the most active operators in his division.
In any case, his promoter has not ruled out a possible domestic showdown against Chisora later this year.
“Dubois’ mandatory with the IBF is Derek Chisora, so he may have to do that [if he doesn’t fight Usyk],” Warren told talkSPORT.
“But they [the IBF] will allow him to have a unification if we get it approved [by the WBO].”
