By RNZSport and is republished with permission
Eight years after winning the WBO heavyweight boxing title, New Zealand’s Joseph Parker could be set to get a crack at the IBF crown.
Joseph Parker fought China’s Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia in March. Photo: Getty Images / Richard Pelham
US boxing journalist Dan Rafael has reported Parker will challenge England’s Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in Saudi Arabia on 22 February.
Dubois beat compatriot Anthony Joshua in September to claim the vacant IBF title.
Joshua was expected to seek a rematch but has stepped aside, paving the way for Parker to challenge for one of the four world titles not held by Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Parker’s last fight was in Riyadh in March when he beat China’s Zhilei Zhang to claim the interim WBO heavyweight title.
Parker won the WBO in December 2016 when he narrowly outscored Mexican Andy Ruiz in Auckland. He defended the title twice in 2017 but lost it to Joshua in 2018 in Cardiff, with Joshua’s unanimous point victory unifying the heavyweight category at the time.
