The IBF has confirmed to Sky Sports that it has not received a request to sanction Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois as an IBF world heavyweight title fight. Former WBO champion Joseph Parker believes he deserves a rematch with AJ after his wins over Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder.
Anthony Joshua has revealed he is close to confirming the opponent for his upcoming bout. Joshua, who has fought once in 2024, knocking out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, said, “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight. Feeling motivated.”
It has been widely speculated that fellow Briton Daniel Dubois could be in the frame to fight Joshua. Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic earlier this month to win an interim title from the IBF. However, the IBF has confirmed it has not received a request to sanction Joshua vs. Dubois as a title fight.
After beating Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk holds all four of the major heavyweight world championships, including the IBF.
There are other contenders also vying to take on Joshua. Zhilei Zhang, who defeated Deontay Wilder on the same bill as Dubois’ victory over Hrgovic, would relish boxing AJ. He lost to the Watford man at the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, Zhang’s team had not been contacted about potentially fighting AJ.
Another fighter gunning for a rematch with Joshua is Joseph Parker, who will be making an announcement on Wednesday. Former WBO champion Parker lost his title to Joshua in 2018. The New Zealander has been in excellent form recently, beating both Wilder and Zhang.
Parker told Sky Sports: “I’ve been boxing 11 to 12 years and I’ve found what works for me, the formula I’ve got, Andy Lee head trainer, George Lockhart, and the work that we’ve been doing together. It’s been a grind ever since we’ve linked up the three of us. But everything is working very well, and whatever we’re doing, we want to keep it up.”
Parker believes he now deserves a second bout with Joshua. “There’s a lot of people that want to fight Anthony Joshua. I feel like with what I’ve done, I can be in a position to fight him,” he said.
But he added: “To be honest, it’s not really about what I want and what he wants. It’s what everyone else wants, and a lot of fights are happening in Saudi Arabia. Usyk and Fury are due to fight in December. If titles do become vacant, Parker thinks he ought to be in the frame to fight for a world championship this year.
“I hope so,” he said. “With the belts all being [held by the] undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, there’s a rematch clause in place, but again, these things may or may not happen. You never know how things are going to unfold,” he continued. “So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. But you’ve got Anthony Joshua… I let whatever happens happen and whatever fights they lock, they lock in, and I’m ready for whoever.”
Credit: Sky Sports
