Joseph Parker was forced to watch from the sidelines as Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois fought it out at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
As Usyk defeated Dubois via knockout, Parker will look toward the Ukrainian in the attempt to become a two-time heavyweight champion.
Although Frank Warren has said that Parker is next for the world title opportunity, Usyk’s next opponent has not been officially confirmed.
Eager to fight for the belt, Parker will likely avoid another contender matchup if possible. This includes Parker recently shooting down the idea of a title eliminator with a top heavyweight.
Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel play down idea of title eliminator bout
There are plenty of names in the heavyweight division who are waiting for their opportunities to fight for world titles. However, now that the weight class has a unified champion, there is only one man who can get the next fight.
Two people eager to get their opportunity are Parker and Agit Kabayel. Both heavyweights competed in February, with Parker knocking out Martin Bakole, and Kabayel stopping Zhang Zhilei.
The two contenders have publicly expressed frustrations about not being given offers to fight. However, meeting one another is not something that interests either fighter.
Speaking to Boxing King Media in a joint interview, the pair were asked why they would not fight one another. Kabayel started by saying, “I like him so much. We have the same manager. He’s in the best position of his career, I’m in the best position of my career, why would we fight?”
Parker then added his thoughts to the subject. He said, “When we fight, it should be for the world title, it should mean more. Right now, if we fight, we’re just the two best up-and-coming fighters. We need to fight for the championship of the world.”
Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel are both interim heavyweight title holders
There are few fighters that can campaign for a world title shot with more substance than Parker and Kabayel.
With the German fighter Kabayel earning the interim WBC World Heavyweight title, he is a viable contender for Usyk’s full title.
However, Parker also boasts an interim title that’s full version is held by Usyk. The New Zealander’s win over Bakole allowed him to retain his interim WBO World Heavyweight title.
There is also an interim WBA World Heavyweight title holder in Fabio Wardley. The Englishman claimed the title when Wardley scored a comeback knockout over Justis Huni in June.