Joseph Parker was ordered as the mandatory position to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for his WBO heavyweight title, but while Usyk was granted an extension to a negotiation period with Parker in order to deal with injuries, Parker and his team have instead shifted their focus towards a showdown with Fabio Wardley next month, with Usyk ordered to face the winner.
Parker’s promoter David Higgins says that while they were hoping to secure a fight with Usyk sooner than this, they want to keep Parker active
while telling Sky Sports about having sincere doubts as to whether or not Usyk will ever actually take the fight.
“It’s pleasing that they’ve said Usyk must fight the winner. It’s gratifying because a lot of hard work has gone into getting this position,” Higgins said. “I don’t know [if Usyk will want to fight the winner]. There’s been so little communication from the [Usyk] camp or engagement. It’s hard to say. If I had to bet my house on it, I would say he probably won’t want to [fight Parker]. There has been no correspondence suggesting that they want to make the fight.”
For now Parker has a notable fight against Wardley which is expected to be a fairly fan-friendly matchup that has some real intrigue. Parker obviously can’t afford to slip up in this coming fight if he’s to maintain his position, but that said there’s still no guarantee that Parker will ever get a shot at Usyk, even if he ultimately does get a shot at the belt Usyk currently holds.
