I would have beaten Daniel Dubois in botched world title fight but don't rule him out of undisputed showdown with Usyk
Joseph Parker is in no doubt that he would have taken Daniel Dubois ' world title away from him in their botched February showdown.
But the New Zealand boxer insists Oleksandr Usyk cannot take the Brit lightly when they fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown at Wembley Stadium in two months time.
Former WBO boxing world champion Parker had got himself another shot at the world title earlier this year off the back of impressive victories against Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, only for Dubois to pull out of the fight two days before he walked to the ring.
Glasgow-based Martin Bakole was drafted in as a last-minute replacement and was knocked out by Parker inside two rounds in Saudi Arabia.
Parker, a close friend and training partner of Tyson Fury, will now have to bide his time in his quest to become a two-time world champion, with Dubois and Usyk putting all four belts on the line at Wembley on July 19.
And while the 33-year-old can't help but think about what would have happened had be shared the ring with Dubois in February, he has warned Usyk - who stopped the Brit in round nine of their previous encounter in August 2023 - that he is now fighting a totally different man.
Speaking to CasinoHawks - offer the latest Casino Sites, he said: "As a fighter, you will believe that you will win every fight.
"I was going to win the fight and become the champion of the world. Daniel Dubois probably thought he will defend the title successfully.
Unfortunately he got sick and the fight was called off and now he is for the undisputed championship of the world. I wholeheartedly believe I would have won that fight against Dubois.
"Daniel Dubois has a lot of power, but in past fights when times got tough, he stopped or found a way out. If times got hard for me, I would continue to fight until I was knocked or done. I will go to the very end.
"Maybe he has changed, but if things get hard for him he could revert back to type.
"With the Miller fight, he went back and forth. Against Hrgovic, he got caught with a lot of right hands but still overcame it and with the Joshua fight he just came looking for the knockout. His resurgence has been excellent."
Parker is desperate to test himself against two-weight undisputed champion Usyk but would also entertain a rematch with Anthony Joshua, who outpointed him in a world title defence back in 2018.
He added: "I want to fight Usyk because he has beaten everyone. I believe he is the best fighter at the moment. He unified and became the undisputed champion at cruiserweight and then came to do the same in the heavyweight division.
"He is a fighter you want to test yourself against - he is the best there is and I want to fight the best. I did mention this to him when I saw him last week in Italy. He just said ''maybe, we will see.'
"I wanna rectify all my losses. At the moment, Joe Joyce is coming off 3 losses right now. He lost to Zhang, (Derek) Chisora and (Filip) Hrgovic and it's a hard place to come from especially since he had beaten everyone that was put in front of him previously.
"Joshua would be a great fight to have and avenge that loss, I would like to rematch Dillian Whyte and if Joe Joyce is still around I will fight him too."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Cutting deep: Welsh Rugby faces radical reform to reverse sport's decline
There is a desperate battle brewing in the proud rugby nation of Wales, with a U-turn by the Welsh Rugby Union throwing the game into chaos. ITV News Wales Reporter Rhys Williams has more Having punched above its weight for so long, Wales has worn its rugby heritage like a badge of honour. But after a string of disappointing results on the pitch, resignations in the governing body over allegations of misogyny and sexism, and a growing financial crisis, the future of Welsh rugby has never looked more months after pledging to fund the existing four professional clubs, the Welsh Rugby Union is now considering a radical and controversial restructuring of the professional game, including the possibility of halving the number of clubs from four to just two. It's a move that would reshape the sport at its highest level in Wales, but one that's already causing anger and resentment among thousands of has also created enormous uncertainty for the clubs, with the new season due to begin next would be a very bold move. No international team with fewer than four professional clubs has even finished higher than third in the Six Nations Rugby Championship, let alone win CEO Abi Tierney told ITV News today that this is a 'once-in-a-generation chance to get this right for Wales', and acknowledged the urgent need to provide stability and clarity to the game. With clubs facing challenging financial and performance issues, WRC CEO Abi Tierney explains why the reforms are being put forward But the turbulence isn't confined to the pitch. A political row has erupted after Carmarthenshire-based politicians called on the Welsh Government to block the Ospreys' planned redevelopment of the historic St Helen's Ground on Swansea MP and Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris has hit back strongly, calling their behaviour 'underhand.' Meanwhile, Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley told ITV News that it's vital the clubs know what's happening 'as soon as we can,' but said short-term pain could be worth it if it leads to long-term gain for Welsh rugby.'We have to keep our eye on the prize here. What we're all aiming for is to get Welsh rugby, at both national and club level, into a much better place than it is now. That's what we're all working together to try and achieve.''Whatever happens, we're very positive about the future here at St Helen's and to be honest, we can't wait to be in.'The landscape of Welsh rugby looks set to change dramatically. The hope is that bold reform can reverse its the fear remains: cutting teams may only make things worse.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scottish football's Italy-trotter lands sixth club after deal with 'lucky' Serie B side
Former Hibs and Celtic midfielder finds new club after leaving Empoli Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish midfielder Liam Henderson is staying in Italian football after agreeing a two-year deal with Sampdoria. Henderson, 29, was out of contract this summer after four years at Empoli, with some speculation that he may return to British football. However, he has decided to remain in Italy after the Genoa-based club swooped for him. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Uncapped by Scotland, Henderson has been in Italy for the past seven years after deciding to try his luck on the continent back in 2018 when his contract at Celtic expired. Liam Henderson was relegated with Empoli. | Getty Images He first played for Bari in Serie B before moving to Hellas Verona. He had a loan spell with Empoli before switching to Lecce in 2020. He spent only one season there before moving to Empoli on a permanent deal, which was punctuated by one season with Palermo on loan. Henderson was a regular in Serie A last season with Empoli and helped them reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. However, they were unable to win their battle against relegation and were demoted to Serie B, where Henderson will now play with Sampdoria. Sampdoria's incredible escape from relegation I Blucerchiati were fortunate to avoid relegation to Serie C last season. They finished 18th in the automatic Serie B relegation places, but were thrown a lifeline when Brescia were deducted four points, moving Sampdoria up to 17th, where they faced a play-off with Salernitana instead to maintain their place in the Italian second tier. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sampdoria won the first leg 2-0 over a Salernitana team that was struck down by food poisoning and were then awarded the second leg 3-0 after Salernitana fans hurled objects on to the pitch. Announcing Henderson's arrival, a post on their website read: 'U.C. Sampdoria announces the permanent acquisition of the registration rights of footballer Liam Henderson (born in Livingston, Scotland, on April 25, 1996). The midfielder has committed to the Blucerchiati club until June 30, 2027 (with a conditional renewal until June 30, 2028).'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
McLaren admit Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri could turn into Lewis Hamilton 2007 nightmare
McLaren have two drivers battling each other for the F1 title again and in 2007 the last time that happened, it didn't end so well between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso McLaren will let Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri race for title glory – but admit things could blow up as badly as the last time they had two drivers in a championship fight. The feud between rookie Lewis Hamilton and two-time champion Fernando Alonso in 2007 tore the team apart. It led to Alonso quitting after both were beaten to the Formula 1 title by Kimi Raikkonen, who remains the most recent champion to win with Ferrari. Max Verstappen is 97 points behind championship leader Piastri and so a repeat of that is highly unlikely to happen. And the Aussie has managed to maintain a strong relationship with Norris despite both hunting individual honours. But McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown admits that could all change as they remain committed to letting their drivers decide things on track. The American said: "We're comfortable with how we go racing. We also know we don't always get it right. We are and always will be, and I think we always have been, a two-car team. We recognise the consequences of that could be 2007. You got two drivers that tie and lose to Kimi by a point. "We could have won that drivers' championship, but who do you pick? And then you run the risk of the guy you don't pick, he's out of here. Our drivers are treated equally fairly. There's nothing in their contract that gives one priority over the other, nor have they ever asked for that. They just want fair and equal treatment. "We know that benefits the team. They accept that, they're cool with that, and we know the risk of that, if you'd like, from a driver point of view, is 2007. But I think the downside of favouring one or the other is that one then wants to leave, which is exactly what happened at the end of '07 [anyway]. READ MORE: Alpine make Franco Colapinto axe decision after latest blow in testing crash "And you put the constructors' championship at risk, right? You see other teams favour one, and that kind of is beneficial to the drivers' championship, but detrimental to the constructors'. Both championships are equally important to us." McLaren are 299 points clear at the top with 10 rounds remaining and are almost certain to retain their teams' title this year. But things between their drivers are remarkable tight with Piastri just nine points ahead after Norris' victory in Hungary last Sunday. Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more £43 £35 Sky Get Sky Sports here Product Description Their only flashpoint on track so far was in Canada when Norris ran into the back of his team-mate, ending his race. But that was a misjudgement on the Brit's part rather than two drivers going over the line, and Norris admitted as quickly as his apologies were accepted by both Piastri and the team. And Brown remains confident, adding: "I don't think they will properly fall out, because of the communication, trust and respect we all have, and they have for each other. We're very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have. We love the challenge - like, I'm looking forward to them racing each other. So we like it. It's not the elephant in the room."
