Dubois and Parker in Talks for January Heavyweight Title Bout

Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker are in talks over a heavyweight title bout in January, according to sources cited by ESPN, in a fight that would finally settle a pairing long discussed in the division. Nothing has been agreed or confirmed yet, but January 30 has emerged as a potential date, with London and Manchester both explored as possible locations. Dubois, 24-3 with 23 knockouts, is keen to stay active after his second-round demolition of Fabio Wardley in October, when he retained his WBO belt in emphatic fashion. Parker, 36-4 with 24 knockouts, has not fought since losing to Wardley last October, a defeat followed by a failed drugs test that returned a positive result for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. The former WBO champion was cleared to fight in August after serving a three-month ban. The pair were originally scheduled to meet in Riyadh in February 2025 before Dubois fell ill and withdrew, and a January date would give both men the high-stakes heavyweight stage they have been seeking.