Joseph Parker will try to become a two-time heavyweight champion on February 22 when he takes on Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh 2 ) will challenge IBF belt holder Daniel Dubois on the undercard.
Parker's comeback
Former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) recently turned his career around, defeating 40-year-old Deontay Wilder and Zhang Zhilei in back-to-back fights to earn himself a title shot against Dubois. Sri Lanka (22-2, 21 KOs) Turki Al-Shiekh on the card.
Du Bois was in his prime, powerful and dangerous. This won't be the easy win Parker has had in his last two games against the older guys. It's a great story as Parker turned his career around, but this time he was facing a young live dog. Du Bois did not go overboard.
If Parker had a better chin, he'd have a good chance of winning, but his shooting ability isn't great, as we saw in his last fight against Chang on March 8, 2024. Falling behind twice.
A victory for Dubois would set him up to fight unified heavyweight champion Alexander Usyk for the undisputed title. This will be a rematch of the encounter between the two two years ago on August 26, 2023, when Dubois lost in the ninth round in Wroclaw, Poland. Earlier in the fifth round, he knocked down Usyk with a body shot, but the referee said it was a low blow. In the eyes of many fans, its appearance is not bad.
“Stop counting your chickens. I don't think Daniel DuBois is going to beat Joseph Parker,” Eddie Hearn told DAZN.
Hearn said he hopes Oppetaya will fight Usyk for the belt. It wouldn't do Eddie any good if Dubois beat Parker and faced Usyk next, as it would disrupt his plans for the Usyk vs. Opetaia fight. It will be interesting to know what Hearn thinks of the Dubois-Parker fight, as he has so much to gain if Dubois loses.
ring rust
“By the time the fight date comes, I'll have been out of the ring for a year. [11 months]. This has no effect on me. I’ve been training and now I’m going to have a big fight and I want to show something different in the ring,” Joseph Parker told iFL TV of the fight against Dubois.
“I want to show cunning, aggression, strength, speed; I want to show it all,” Parker continued. “There's a lot to do. I got another chance to fight for the belt. There was a difference in fighting back then. [December 10, 2016, against Andy Ruiz Jr.] and win it [WBO heavyweight title]. If I win now, I will cherish it more and I want to stick to it.
“Now I live this life and I love what I do. At that time, I was just learning about myself and my life. I had a belt and a little money and I was happy. Now, I have Wife and kids, I’ve also matured a lot to win this. [IBF title]”I want to hang in there and move on to bigger and better things,” Parker said.
Parker, 32, tried to portray his 11-month absence from the field as a good thing after he didn't look good in his last game. He'll be fighting a young, active boxer in Dubois, which will be tough for him.
Parker did not reveal why he has not played in the past 11 months, but it may be because there is no money to keep him active. He has made good returns in his last two games against Zhang Zhilei and Deontay Wilder. Parker needs a famous boxer like Dubois to continue making the same amount of money.
Parker KO prediction
“I think I can [knockout out Dubois]but he showed a good chin, he showed grit and determination and he showed fight when times were tough, but I believe I can,” Parker said of his belief that he can KO Dubois .
Parker is unlikely to knock out Dubois on February 22, and even if he tried, the results would be disastrous. Parker switched his fighting style to that of a crafty boxer, but he wasn't in the pocket long enough to knock out his opponent.
That's why his last two fights have been 12-round bouts with Zhang Zhilei and Deontay Wilder. Parker was lucky enough to defeat Zhang in his last fight on March 8, falling twice and needing boxing to survive.
The biggest heavyweight fight of the year so far. February 22nd. Du Bois vs Parker in Riyadh 🔥🥊#riadseason #duboisvparker pic.twitter.com/ARlMuqbucZ
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 4, 2025
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