Dubois, Kabayel, Itauma: Who's next for Joseph Parker after agonising Fabio Wardley loss?

Joseph Parker's hopes of becoming a two-time heavyweight world champion were handed a crushing blow on Saturday after defeat to Fabio Wardley in a sensational encounter.

The New Zealander, originally mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk, gambled his WBO interim crown against the WBA interim strap holder - and came up agonisingly short.

Parker led on the scorecards when referee Howard Foster intervened in the eleventh round, as Wardley backed him onto the ropes and unleashed a sensational barrage of blows.

With defeat, the Auckland-born fighter loses his position as the leading contender to face Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title, with the Briton now vaulting to pole position.

But at just thirty-three, Parker has remained insistent that he is in the prime of his career - and having crafted one impressive rebuild already, will be determined to deliver another.

Here, DAZN News considers the leading options that the star could face in early 2026 as he begins his bid to reach the summit of the sport's premier glamour division anew.

Daniel Dubois

Having entered one high-risk, high-reward contest this year, Parker could bid for a second next year, which comes with a side order of unfinished business for the Kiwi star.

In another world, he fought for the IBF heavyweight title and possibly dethroned Dubois in February, before the latter pulled out midway through fight week after falling ill.

Parker's hopes of a rescheduled bout were dashed when his foe proceeded straight to an undisputed title fight with Usyk, where the Briton was brutally knocked out in five rounds.

Dubois has not fought since, but was at ringside on Saturday, angling to take a shot at the winner in order to put himself firmly in the shop window for either a trilogy or a title.

Ultimately, it seems unlikely that Wardley will take the risk unless Usyk swerves his challenge outright - but for Parker, it offers a triple carrot of a rebuild, revenge and redemption.

Victory over another former world champion and recent contender would restore his stock in sensational fashion - but lose again, and it surely would be the end of the road for him.

Agit Kabayel

If Parker wants to immediately restore his top contender status - and by that, put himself in the hot seat for a shot at a title again - then he need look no further than the German.

As WBC interim champion, Kabayel effectively has the straight line to a shot at Usyk down the line - and if the Ukrainian fails to honour his status, then the full crown itself too.

He will return to the ring for a massive homecoming show on German soil this January, almost a whole year after his last bout against Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh this February.

Expectations are high that the star will preserve his status and ticket to a world title shot, but with Usyk likely to accept Wardley or look elsewhere, he could be tempted by Parker.

Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

As with the New Zealander's latest bout, it is a high-risk encounter, with Kabayel likely to face a similar situation if he comes up short against the former world champion in the ring.

But the reward for both men would mean that another rival is swept off the shop floor and that they could move into pole position to face either Usyk or Wardley in mid-2026.

Moses Itauma

It may have been Wardley's weekend, but if there's one man backed as a certainty to become a new world champion, it seems to be his fellow countryman and rising star.

Pundits and powerbrokers have namechecked Itauma as a future king of the division, but his critics have long suggested he is yet to truly topple a top operator in peak form.

A one-round demolition job against Dillian Whyte in August effectively delivered the marquee win he required, but few opponents have been reportedly keen to face him since.

Even with his loss here, Parker is still generally considered one of the top ten active heavyweights in the world however, with both men likely to see positives in a potential fight.

The New Zealander will be aware it is an even greater risk than Wardley, with no belt set to be on the line - but stopping the sport's top prospect would send notice to his rivals.

On the other hand, if he were to come up short again, it would surely be the end of the line, while Itauma would follow Wardley's trajectory and likely see a critical title shot.

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