Whittaker, Lapin, Buatsi: Who could Zach Parker face next after contentious defeat?

Zach Parker came up short in the biggest fight of his career so far on Saturday against Joshua Buatsi - but the star has every right to be aggrieved by a highly contentious result.

The Derbyshire light-heavyweight outlanded his opponent across ten rounds and seemed to have the better of the Rio 2016 medalist in almost every round of their headline bout.

But instead, the judges called a majority decision in favour of Buatsi, leaving a distraught Parker to consider his options after a possible WBC title bid slipped through his fingers. 

So, who could he face next on the whole? As the star heads home to plot a possibly career-defining 2026, DAZN News profiles three likely options he could cross paths with.

Ben Whittaker

Freshly signed with Matchroom, the Tokyo 2020 medalist faces Germany's Benjamin Gavazi in a homecoming bout in Birmingham this month as he bids to bolster his own profile.

A controversial draw with Liam Cameron, when both men tumbled over the ropes and out of the ring last year, was avenged with a two-round stoppage in the pair's April rematch.

Whittaker will want to push for a title shot himself, but arguably needs to clear out a few more rivals towards the upper echelons of the division before he gets that opportunity.

Parker, therefore, could prove attractive to him, while for the former, it offers a chance to put a domestic rival down and reinforce that his performance against Buatsi was no fluke.

Daniel Lapin

Originally due to face Troy Jones on the undercard this weekend, the Ukrainian star - a protege of Oleksandr Usyk - was forced to pull out with injury from that particular contest.

His original opponent had hoped to get a second crack at him, but defeat to replacement Cameron - in another curious result on the scorecards - may hamper those prospects.

Higher up the light-heavyweight chain, and needing to rebuild off the back of a loss against his name, Parker may well favour the star as a test of his credentials in this division.

It comes with risk for his future title hopes. Victory sees off a promising rising star and puts him back in the conversation but defeat may relegate him from contention for good.

Joshua Buatsi

In the immediate aftermath of their first bout, Buatsi was critical of Parker's tactics, and suggested his tendency to clinch cost him the bout and the biggest fight of his life to come.

It is little surprise then that the former remains firmly in the latter's sights for a rematch, with Parker already banging the drum to get a second bite at a man he believes he beat.

Buatsi is highly unlikely to want a second dance, frequently frustrated by his opponent, but if the order does ultimately come down the line, he may have no choice in the matter.

Likewise, if the winner of Benavidez-Yarde opt for a different challenger instead to the WBC title, a second dance may prove the most profitable option in order to silence his critics.

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