Joseph Parker, riding a wave of recent heavyweight victories, is aiming for a title fight against Oleksandr Usyk, the unified champion, rather than settling for a vacant belt. His coach, Andy Lee, believes Parker has earned this shot, especially after impressive wins against top contenders like Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole.
The WBO has mandated Parker as Usyk’s next challenger, but Usyk might opt for a rematch with Daniel Dubois, potentially leaving the WBO title vacant. Lee states that Parker’s main objective is to fight Usyk, a matchup that fans want to see.
If Usyk chooses another path, Parker could fight for the vacant WBO title. Justis Huni is currently the top contender, but Lee also addressed the possibility of Moses Itauma stepping up. While acknowledging Itauma’s talent and ambition to become the youngest heavyweight champion, Lee expressed concern about the potential risks of a fight against Parker.
He sees it as a major step up in competition for the young fighter and warns that a loss could harm Itauma’s career.
Lee mentioned Parker and Itauma’s sparring sessions and said that while they were competitive, a professional fight would be a different level of challenge. He fears that a fight against Parker could seriously hurt Itauma’s future potential.
