I would have beaten Daniel Dubois in botched world title fight but don't rule him out of undisputed showdown with Usyk
Dubois was due to defend his IBF world title against Joseph Parker back in February but had to pull out just two days before the fight with an illness
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
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Is America making Scottish football great again?
The American takeover of Rangers represents a significant shift at Ibrox but it also marks a broader milestone for Scottish football. With the arrival of US-based consortium, including Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises in Glasgow, half of this season's 12 Premiership clubs now have substantial investment from the United the latest development in a trend which has been building quietly for over 10 years and one which reflects similar changes across Europe. So, what's driving this wave of transatlantic interest? And what might it mean for the future of Scottish football? A decade in the making American involvement in the Scottish game began back in 2013, when Texans John Nelms and Tim Keyes took control at Dundee, with a vision centred on youth development and player trading. Five years later, across the road at Tannadice, Mark Ogren bought Dundee United. He has since invested an estimated £13m during what has been a turbulent but committed tenure. Since then, the US footprint has expanded. Bournemouth owner Bill Foley acquired a significant stake in Hibernian, St Johnstone were bought by businessman Adam Webb, and Aberdeen brought in a group of US investors via Scotland-born, US-based Dave Cormack. There was also interest in Motherwell from former Netflix ex-vice president Erik Barmack last year. More bang for your buck in Scotland than England? In England, following Dan Friedkin's recent acquisition of Everton, half of the 20 Premier League clubs are now under US ownership, including Manchester United and Liverpool. Nine more clubs in the English Football League have also attracted American investment. The reasons are varied, but value is a key factor. While the average NFL franchise is valued at around $6bn, and an NBA team commands roughly $4.6bn, Everton reportedly sold for just £400m. For investors used to those numbers, European football clubs can seem like a bargain - especially when they come with global brand recognition, loyal fanbases, and historical why Scotland?"They love the sport and the cost for getting involved with sports ownership in the states is significant," said Cormack, Aberdeen's is cheaper, but the potential rewards - particularly through European competition - are very real. While Everton's new owners may have limited expectations of reaching the Champions League, those backing Rangers will expect to be there regularly. That offers a route to financial growth, global exposure, and an increase in brand value. There's also a growing focus on player trading. Celtic have shown how effective this can be, developing talent and selling at a premium. US investors see Scotland as a shop window. Les Alan, an LA-based investment banker, helped broker the Rangers takeover and thinks the attraction was obvious. "If you're looking at the investment from a financial point of view, the figures speak for themselves," he said. "Rangers' enterprise value is probably around £150m. For that you could probably buy a very small fraction of the 49ers, you could buy a fraction of an English Premier League club."Yet Rangers offer you one of the top two teams in Scotland, with a 38-acre training facility, a magnificent stadium in the heart of Glasgow and the possibility of top-tier European competition every year. "So from a financial point of view, the comparisons I believe are compelling. In fact, in the US, here in LA, a women's team just traded for $250m, without the background, the history or the trophy winning past of Rangers." The rise of multi-club ownership The attraction and acquisition fits into a wider model now common across world football. Many American investors own more than one club - often across different Black Knight group has stakes in Bournemouth, Lorient and Auckland. Webb holds a share in Cambridge United. Rangers' new owners also control Leeds insist the goal is to share best practices, not necessarily move players around. But, for fans, there is unease. Supporters are proud of their club's identity and traditions - and wary of becoming a satellite in a wider footballing and passion won't allow fans to entertain the notion of their club existing to feed the parent company's bigger offspring but with scouting and analytics playing such a key role in football, collaboration in some form is inevitable."Every team is just as important as the next team but we need to have ways of avoiding the heavy transfer payments that you have in football and at least if you have transfer payments, we're paying ourselves instead of paying a third party," said Foley."So, I understand sometimes there's apprehension about multi-club ownership - Manchester City has proved it works for them and we feel it works for us with the size of club we are and we respect every team that we own a part of."I was only allowed to buy 30% of Hibs but if larger ownership percentages are allowed, you'll see many more Americans investing in Scottish football. I have no doubt about that." With great power comes great responsibility What evidence do we have of success so far? Dundee have yet to realise the dream of becoming a conveyer belt for young Scottish talent, but their US owners have brought stability to a club that was unpredictable. Their neighbours at Tannadice have steadied the club financially, but fans might be forgiven for expecting more. It's perhaps a similar story at Hibs, and St Johnstone's new owners couldn't prevent the club being relegated for the first time in 16 years. We also have to acknowledge when fans didn't welcome fresh investment from the US. In 2024, Motherwell fans, the club's majority shareholder, voted against a club takeover by Barmack. The episode at Motherwell shows there are also cultural differences to navigate. In the US, sport is often positioned as entertainment - a product consumed by families, sponsors, and corporate clients. In Scotland, football is deeply personal. American investors entering the Scottish game may find the passion and expectations here very different from what they're used to. And while financial backing is welcome, it comes with a responsibility - not just to balance the books, but to honour what the club means to its supporters. "Each club has different but deep histories no matter if you're Stenhousemuir or Rangers," said Alan. "If we're out there in the investment banking world and you're selling two semi-conductor companies, how do you differentiate from the two? But football clubs, even in the same league, have deep and different cultural pasts." Scottish football may benefit from US investment. But if it's to succeed, it must be done with care, respect, and a clear understanding of the culture it's entering.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Boxer Claressa Shields sounds off after Angel Reese wins top BET honor
Shields' accolades over the past year include defeating Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the WBO light heavyweight and WBC heavyweight titles last July and then beating Danielle Perkins for the WBA heavyweight title in February. Reese won the award for the second consecutive year over a star-studded field of Shields, A'ja Wilson, Coco Gauff, Dawn Staley, Flau'jae Johnson, JuJu Watkins, Sha'Carri Richardson and Simone Biles. Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, did make it clear she supports Reese, but thought she was more deserving of the honor. "Ain't nobody saying Angel Reese don't have accolades or she not good.... I'm saying I thought the person with "THE MOST" accolades & accomplishments would win the Award," Shields posted, adding, "I'm team Angel Reese!" Shields attended the awards ceremony with her boyfriend, Brooklyn rapper Papoose. "For My First BET Nomination, I came how a Champion Should," she posted on Instagram, saying the couple enjoyed the full experience. As for the Sportsman of the Year award, it went to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. He prevailed over a field that included Aaron Judge, Anthony Edwards, Deion Sanders, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Saquon Barkley and Stephen Curry.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
F1 has a growing problem as serving FIA steward brands driver 'a disaster'
In a period when routinely, on social media, accusations of bias in Formula 1 are slung around with abandon, the FIA really isn't helping itself. On the face of it, the appointment of Derek Warwick as one of the stewards on duty at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix is a normal, entirely uninteresting decision. He's more than qualified for the role. Warwick is a veteran of 147 F1 race starts from his own racing career and has been a regular driver steward for many years now. Aged 70, the Brit is one of the most respected people in the F1 paddock whenever he pays a visit. But something has changed in recent times which should raise questions over whether he remains a viable candidate for a stewarding role – his latest media work. Specifically, Warwick is involved with a PR company which supplies quotes from famous names with credit to various gambling companies. One such set of quotes, attributed to Warwick, was sent around this week. In it, he opined that Lando Norris needs to stop making "silly mistakes" if he is to beat Oscar Piastri to the title, claimed Lance Stroll is a better driver than people give him credit for and said Yuki Tsunoda has "had a disaster" since joining the main Red Bull team. In another email, sent earlier this week, quotes attributed to Warwick said Max Verstappen was "absolutely wrong" to drive into George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix and that people are "probably right" to suggest that the Dutchman should have been suspended for his actions. Of course, he is entitled to all of those opinions as a person and many will agree with him on some of those topics. But should he be sharing them in public, given he has the power in his hands when on duty as an FIA steward to hand out punishments to drivers for their actions on track – penalties that could be called into doubt based on his personal views? Well, based on the FIA's own example, he shouldn't. While Warwick remains an active F1 steward, having last served at the Miami Grand Prix in May and been selected for this weekend's event in Montreal, Johnny Herbert was cut from the governing body's pool in January. Explaining that decision at the time, the FIA said Herbert is "is widely respected and brought invaluable experience and expertise to his role... [but] his duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible". Warwick too is widely respected and vastly experienced, but why is he allowed to continue to work in the role? Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192. As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+. To be clear, there is no reason whatsoever to suggest that Warwick or any active FIA steward would allow their personal opinions to affect their decision making. But the problem is that some people WILL make that accusation and, when an active steward is out there publicly criticising drivers, it's not a good look. Verstappen is one penalty point away from a race ban heading into this weekend's Montreal race. If Warwick is on the stewarding panel which hands him the punishment which triggers that ban, you can easily imagine what the reaction will be from fans of the Dutchman and of Red Bull – perhaps even the driver and team themselves. And it will be a problem for the FIA entirely of its own making.
