BONA FIDE heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk has welcomed a potential undisputed clash with the winner of Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker.
The two ferocious punchers will square off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday, featuring on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s hotly anticipated rematch.
With Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), coming off a punishing fifth-round stoppage victory over Anthony Joshua last September, the fiercely confident knockout artist hopes to make another emphatic defence of his IBF world heavyweight title.
Looking to rain on his parade, though, is former world champion Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), who boasts a fine run of form after outpointing Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang in his last two outings.
Since joining forces with former middleweight titlist and esteemed trainer Andy Lee, the New Zealander has not only rediscovered his dogged mindset but also developed a more well-rounded style.
Dubois, however, seemingly has little doubt that he will retain his red and gold belt, so much so that he even called out Usyk, 23-0 (14 KOs), last December.
It was immediately after the 38-year-old’s second victory over Tyson Fury when Dubois stepped through the ropes and began demanding a rematch.
The pair locked horns in 2023, back when Usyk put on a typically masterful display to halt the 27-year-old with a ninth-round finish.
But before that, there was a moment of controversy when Dubois landed what was deemed a low blow by the referee, allowing Usyk several minutes to regroup.
Still claiming that it was a legal body shot, the Brit has now firmly set his sights on a second encounter with ‘The Cat.’
But while he has no problem with rematching Dubois – who, he believes, will beat Parker – Usyk nonetheless feels that his callout last year was disrespectful.
“I thought: ‘What are you doing here? This is my place,’” Usyk told Sky Sports while recalling the incident. “After the fight [Dubois said:] ‘Hey, listen, I want rematch…’ Just say good job [for beating Fury]”
“My team has made a prediction,” he added. “52 per cent is for Dubois, 48 per cent is Joseph Parker.”
