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Eddie Hearn has seen plenty in his years as a boxing promoter.
Even he admits the latest reports about a potential return for Joseph Parker caught him by surprise.
Parker has been linked to an immediate shot at Daniel Dubois’ WBO world heavyweight title after more than a
year of inactivity.
The 34-year-old was stopped by Fabio Wardley in the 11th round of their bout for the interim title last October, after which Parker failed a voluntary United Kingdom anti-doping test for a metabolite of cocaine.
He vehemently denied ingesting the substance and had his suspension lifted in August, with an investigation finding his failed test was the result of exposure to cocaine used by his then nutritionist.
Now cleared and eager for a return to the ring, Parker has been linked to a shot at Dubois – who has twice beaten Wardley in the last year – in late January.
“Listen, good luck to him, because I love Joseph, but I was quite surprised with the selection from Dubois,” Hearn told the Herald ahead of next Wednesday’s Matchroom Boxing card in Melbourne headlined by Teremoana Teremoana and Hemi Ahio.
“Obviously Parker’s coming off a loss. [I’m] glad to see everything get cleared up with the drug test stuff, but coming off that defeat by Fabio Wardley, the guy that Dubois has beaten twice, I think Joseph can find himself quite, you know, not lucky, because I think he deserves it, but certainly a surprising pick.
“But good luck to Joseph. On his day, he’s capable of beating all those guys and he’ll be a handful for Daniel Dubois.”
Hearn signed Parker to a three-fight deal with Matchroom in 2019, and extended that with a one-fight offer for his second bout against heavy-hitting Englishman Derek Chisora in December 2021.
However, the British promoter told the Herald in 2022 they did not make Parker an offer after that bout, and Parker went on to sign with Boxxer.
A shot at Dubois’ belt would be Parker’s chance at a second world title reign, after holding the same belt between December 2016 and March 2018.
However, it comes with limited runway with a targeted date of January 30.
The Herald reported last month a formal offer had been tabled to Parker’s camp and was being seriously considered.
The two were supposed to fight in February last year, where Parker would have been challenging for the IBF world title. However, titleholder Dubois was a late withdrawal and Parker instead ran through Martin Bakole, who took the bout on just two days’ notice.
Dubois went on to lose his title in a unification bout against undefeated Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who has been an undisputed heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.
Hearn further clarified it wasn’t just the lengthy layoff for Parker that made him a surprise choice for Dubois.
“I think not just after the layoff, but after the defeat as well. He got stopped in that fight against Fabio Wardley,” he said.
“So to come back into a world championship fight after the layoff is tough work, especially with the confidence and momentum of Daniel Dubois. But Joseph’s a great fighter, a tough man, and he’ll give anyone a good fight on the night.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
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