Dubois, Parker in Talks for January WBO Heavyweight Title Fight

WBO heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois is in talks to defend his title against former world champion Joseph Parker in January, with London and Manchester being explored as potential venues, sources told ESPN. Ring Magazine first reported the discussions and named January 30 as a possible date — though nothing has been agreed or signed.

"It's a cracker of a fight"

Promoter Frank Warren confirmed discussions are under way but stopped short of confirming the deal during an appearance on The Boxing Show.

"I can't say [whether it will happen] at this moment, but it's a bloody good fight, isn't it? It's a cracker of a fight," Warren said.

The matchup revives a fight that collapsed at the eleventh hour. The pair were originally due to meet in Riyadh in February 2025, only for Dubois — then the IBF titlist — to withdraw two days before the bout through illness. Martin Bakole was flown in as a late replacement, and Parker needed less than two rounds to beat him.

A champion who wants to stay busy

Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) has stopped Fabio Wardley twice this year: an 11th-round stoppage in May that made him a two-time world champion, then a one-sided second-round demolition in their October rematch to retain the WBO belt. After the rematch he told Warren he wants "big fights and big money."

With Oleksandr Usyk still the lineal champion after vacating his belts in June, immediate unification routes are blocked. WBC champion Agit Kabayel fights Nelson Hysa in Germany on November 28, while IBF champion Filip Hrgovic has mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez next. A defense against Parker would keep Dubois active — and paid — while the rest of the division sorts itself out.

Parker's road back

Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) has not fought since an 11th-round stoppage loss to Wardley in October 2025. He subsequently tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, but was cleared to box again in August when UK Anti-Doping accepted evidence that the adverse finding resulted from exposure to cocaine used by a nutritionist he had employed, ruling that a three-month ban had been served.

According to The New Zealand Herald, Parker's team are weighing the offer but are wary of going straight in against a champion of Dubois' caliber after more than a year out of the ring.

The 34-year-old held the WBO title from 2016 until losing it to Anthony Joshua in 2018. Beating Dubois would make him a two-time heavyweight champion — and a January date in London or Manchester would give him the chance to do it in front of a hostile crowd.