WBO heavyweight interim champion Joseph Parker is next in line for a shot at becoming a heavyweight world champion after the WBO ordered a title bout between him and undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk this week. The decision follows up after the sanctioning body’s mandate earlier this year for the two fighters to face each other which would subsequently be circumvented by negotiations for an undisputed bout between Usyk and Daniel Dubois. With Usyk coming out on top on July 19th to become a undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time, Parker is now once again on the brink of a long overdue opportunity to become a world champion once more.
The first attempt by the WBO to sanction a bout between New Zealand native Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KO’s) and Ukrainian future Hall of Famer Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KO’s) occurred when Daniel Dubois was linked with Usyk for an undisputed heavyweight (200+ lbs) bout; a match that came to a head this past weekend on July 19th and culminated in the Ukrainian winning the match by knockout (KO) in the 5th round.
Parker, who’s held the WBO interim heavyweight title since defeating Chinese contender Zhilei Zhang in March of last year, had also attempted to face Dubois (22-3, 21 KO’s) when he held the IBF heavyweight title but an unsubstantiated illness forced Dubois’ withdrawal from his February 22nd bout with Parker. Parker went on to face a replacement opponent in Martin Bakole who he would go on to stop in the 1st round of their 12-round match.
With at least two tries to become a legit world champion again foiled, Joseph Parker is now on his third attempt to become champion after the WBO ordered a mandatory bout between him and Usyk on July 22nd:
“Please be advised that the WBO World Championship Committee is hereby ordering the commencement of negotiations between the subject matter fighters [Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker] to discharge the mandatory title defense obligation,” The WBO’s official mandate reads.
“By virtue of this order, the parties have thirty (30) days upon issuance of this letter to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in this committee ordering purse bid proceedings in accordance with WBO regulations of World Championship Contests.
“The minimum bid in the Heavyweight division is one-million dollars ($1,000,000.00). Any of the parties herein may request purse bid proceedings at any time during negotiation stages.“
Parker, 33, last received his title shot in 2016 against American former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr when the two competed for the vacant WBO title. Parker went on to win the match by a closely-contested majority decision (MD) before eventually losing the title in a unification fight to Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s) in 2018 following two successful title defenses in 2017.
With Usyk having a grasp over all of the four primary world titles [WBA, WBC, WBO & IBF], Parker further gains the opportunity to become undisputed for the first time of his career.
