Oleksandr Usyk could face Joseph Parker for the WBO heavyweight title, should Anthony Joshua be forced to vacate the belt.
Joshua regained the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO belts from Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on December 7.
But following orders from the WBO and IBF for mandatory title defences, there’s a strong possibility the British champion will be required to vacate a title.
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Poll Position
The WBO gave Joshua 180 days to face Usyk, while the IBF made a similar demand with their own mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev.
Pulev looks to be the forerunner for a title challenge against AJ, with Usyk offered an alternative fight against Derek Chisora.
This means despite promoter Eddie Hearn’s best efforts to fulfil both obligations, Joshua may have no choice but to relinquish the WBO title.
Should the belt become vacant, Parker is in poll position to face Usyk after reaching #2 in the WBO rankings.
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‘History Repeats’
Parker is set to return to the ring in February, but is currently monitoring AJ’s situtation.
The New Zealander’s manager David Higgins said to Sky Sports: “There’s talk that Joshua might have to vacate one of the sanctioning bodies.”
“If he vacates the WBO, then suddenly you’ve got Usyk mandatory and I think the next available ranked boxer is Joseph Parker.”
“You could end up with a situation where you have Usyk fight Parker for the vacant title, which funnily enough is how Joseph became world champion. He fought [Andy] Ruiz for the vacant title. History repeats.”
“Usyk is a very tough fight. He’s a southpaw, he would dissect Anthony Joshua.”
“We know this, but if you’re the better boxer and you get a world title shot, you have an obligation to take it. Joseph being old school will not take a backward step, so if that does happen, Joseph will be straight in and he’ll fight Usyk.”
“Usyk is a very skilled professional. I respect him and his manager, but it would be a good fight. Hopefully, we might see that this year.”
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Potential Fights
Meanwhile, Usyk continues to monitor a potential fight with Chisora.
Parker had been hoping to reschedule a fight with Chisora after withdrawing from a bout in October through illness.
There are several match-ups in the mix involving Joshua, Usyk, Parker and Chisora.
Time will tell who faces each other in the coming months, and whether it will be for a world title.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker)