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Fury, Parker, Itauma: Who's next in line for a shot at Usyk-Dubois 2 winner?
The stage is set. Oleksandr Usyk could restore his status as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world , or Daniel Dubois could become just the second Brit in the four-belt era to hold all the marbles.
Either way, we are in for a classic at Wembley on Saturday, with all the action shown live on DAZN PPV .
With so many belts on the line, there are plenty of fighters with legitimate claims of facing the winner of this weekend’s rematch. Here, we take a look at the contenders who could be next up.
- Read next | Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2: Date, undercard, ringwalk times, TV channel, prediction, analysis, odds
Joseph Parker – WBO mandatory
A former world champion, Joseph Parker has been bypassed twice in 2025. Daniel Dubois had been set to defend his IBF world title against the New Zealander in February, only to fall ill days before the bout.
He made quick work of stand-in Martin Bakole to remain on track as one of the best of the rest, with his WBO interim status offering him an avenue to fight Oleksandr Usyk, who lists the organisation’s full title among his three belts.
Negotiations between the two were ordered back in March, but Usyk prioritised reunifying all four belts against Daniel Dubois instead of facing his mandatory challenger.
The WBO remains next in the rotation of mandatory defences, indicating that Parker would finally get his shot at Usyk if the Ukrainian were victorious, as is largely expected.
Complications might arise if Dubois is the victor underneath the arch at Wembley, as the Brit has forgone a mandatory defence of his own IBF heavyweight title. However, the IBF may accept Dubois putting his belt on the line to face Parker, seeing as that was the original plan back in February.
Moses Itauma – Highly-rated prospect waiting for opportunity Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Rated number one by the WBO, Moses Itauma is close to getting a world title opportunity. Only the WBO interim champion Joseph Parker is ahead of him in the queue, but that likely means Itauma would have to wait for the full cycle of mandatory defences to be completed before facing a world champion.
There is the possibility that the WBO belt is vacated if the winner priorities a rematch, however. That opens up the scenario where Itauma, the WBO intercontinental champion, faces interim title holder Parker for the full title.
Tyson Fury – Trilogy bout incoming? Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
The big four sanctioning bodies’ ratings have been missing one big name in the heavyweight division, with Tyson Fury’s latest retirement taken very seriously by all the organisations.
But Oleksandr Usyk’s comments about facing Fury for a trilogy bout imply that the Ukrainian would be willing to face his two-time dance partner. Fury has certainly made it clear that he wants another shot at Usyk, claiming that he had been robbed in both fights.
Fury’s lack of a ranking would likely lead to one or two belts being vacated in order to make the fight – just as Uysk dropped the IBF strap to pursue a rematch with The Gypsy King last year. Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Anthony Joshua - Fighter with scores to settle with Usyk and Dubois
Unlike Fury, Anthony Joshua has history with both men. He has lost twice against Usyk, at least improving from an initial unanimous decision loss to a more narrow split decision defeat in the rematch.
After being upgraded to full IBF champion last year, Daniel Dubois defended his title against Joshua with a stunning knockout. There had been talk of an immediate rematch, but minor injuries prevented Joshua from facing Dubois in February of this year.
(Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Joshua is still ranked by the IBF (no.5), WBO (no.6) and the WBC (no.2), but he might have to face another contender first before getting a chance to avenge his losses to either fighter.
Either way, it is unlikely that Joshua is up next for either man, with the former heavyweight world champion aiming to recover from elbow surgery and return to the ring late into 2025.
- Read next | Usyk vs Dubois 2: The intense training regime the Brit has adopted for undisputed title bid
Derek Chisora – IBF mandatory?
Despite having named Derek Chisora as their mandatory challenger following the veteran’s win over Otto Wallin earlier this year, the IBF do not currently list a fighter at number one in their rankings.
The IBF had ordered their champion Daniel Dubois to face Chisora days before the confirmation of Usyk-Dubois 2, with unification bouts superseding mandatory defences.
Theoretically, if Usyk and Dubois were to draw on Saturday night, the former would be due to face WBO interim champ Joseph Parker, while the latter would be told to fight Chisora.
That throws up a complication – if Daniel Dubois earns all four belts, he would be expected to face his mandatory for the IBF, and likely under pressure to fight the WBO challenger. That may lead to another vacation of a belt, preventing ‘Dynamite’ from defending his undisputed status in the ring, the same fate that befell Usyk.
However, Chisora’s position as mandatory challenger is up in the air. The IBF have ordered another final eliminator between Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba, leaving question marks over where Chisora stands.
If the winner of Saturday’s bout vacates their IBF title, we could potentially see Chisora get his third world title shot against the winner of Sanchez-Ajagba in what is slated to be his 50th and final fight.
Agit Kabayel – WBC interim champion Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Agit Kabayel has built up a decent CV in recent years, defeating top heavyweights in Derek Chisora, Zhilei Zhang, and Frank Sanchez.
His victory over Zhang earned the German the WBC interim belt, positioning the 32-year-old as a key contender.
It is not currently clear whether the WBA or WBC are next in line to order a mandatory after the WBO, but Kabayel is currently well placed to get a shot at the WBC world champion sooner rather than later.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
However, Kabayel will likely have to fight other boxers to remain active, risking his WBC interim title while he waits for his chance.
In the event that the WBC title is vacated, Kabayel would be upgraded to full champion - with Brits Lawrence Okolie and Anthony Joshua, rated at no.1 and no.2 respectively, likely to be the first challengers.
WBA title confusion leaves Fabio Wardley, Kubrat Pulev, and Michael Hunter in the lurch
The World Boxing Assocation (WBA) title picture is complicated by the sanctioning bodies’ desire to have multiple belts per division.
Despite previous promises to streamline their titles, the WBA effectively have three world champions. Oleksandr Uysk is holder of the WBA ‘Super’ belt, which is treated as the equal of the IBF, WBO, and WBC titles.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Then Kubrat Pulev is the WBA’s ‘regular’ champion, a status that the organisation describes as being a world champion. Fabio Wardley beat Justis Huni at the start of June to become the WBA’s interim world champion; he is due to face the winner of Pulev’s defence against American Michael Hunter.
That would consolidate two of the WBA’s titles and effectively declare a mandatory challenger for the sanctioning body.
By the time the landscape of the WBA is cleared up, it could be the organisation’s turn to order a mandatory challenger – which would be perfect timing for the fighter that comes out on top.
Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN
Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here .
