Joseph Parker title shot talk surprises Eddie Hearn

Eddie Hearn has admitted he was surprised to see Joseph Parker linked with a WBO heavyweight title shot against Daniel Dubois, despite being a long-time admirer of the New Zealander.

Parker has been put forward as a possible opponent for Dubois in January 2027, but nothing has been signed. He has not boxed since October 2025, when he was stopped by Fabio Wardley, the man Dubois has since beaten twice.

Eddie Hearn: ‘I love Joseph’

Hearn was speaking to the NZ Herald ahead of next Wednesday’s Matchroom card in Melbourne, which is headlined by Teremoana Teremoana and Hemi Ahio.

The Matchroom boss made it clear there was nothing personal in his reaction. Hearn signed Parker to a three-fight deal in 2019, and the warmth between them has lasted.

“Listen, good luck to him, because I love Joseph, but I was quite surprised with the selection from Dubois,” Hearn said.

He pointed straight to Parker’s last outing. “Obviously Parker’s coming off a loss,” he said. “He got stopped in that fight against Fabio Wardley.”

Hearn added that the long layoff was not the only reason the choice caught him off guard. The defeat itself, and who inflicted it, mattered too. Dubois has beaten Wardley twice this year. He got up from an early knockdown to stop him in the 11th round in Manchester in May and win the WBO title, then stopped him in two rounds in the rematch at the O2 on 17 October.

Joseph Parker’s comeback comes first

Parker does have a date of his own. Frank Warren has confirmed to Boxing News that he will box in Dusseldorf on 28 November, on the undercard of Agit Kabayel’s WBC title defence against Nelson Hysa. No opponent has been named.

That gives Parker the chance to shake off more than a year of rust before any title talk goes further. Sky Sports has reported that he is on a shortlist of potential opponents for Dubois. For the latest on where those talks stand, read our piece on Daniel Dubois’s next fight and the January date being explored.

Why Parker’s year out matters

Following the Wardley fight, Parker returned a positive test for a cocaine metabolite. He attributed the finding to exposure involving his nutritionist. UKAD determined that ingestion had occurred out of competition and was unrelated to sporting performance. His provisional suspension was lifted on 22 June, and he subsequently accepted a three-month ban, deemed already served.

Before that defeat, Parker had been one of the division’s form fighters. The pair were due to meet in Riyadh in February 2025, with Dubois’s IBF belt on the line, until Dubois was ruled out ill in fight week. Parker stopped Martin Bakole in two rounds instead, after Bakole took the fight on two days’ notice. Wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang had come before that.

Is Hearn right to be surprised?

On paper, it is easy to see his point. Parker, now 36-4 with 24 knockouts, will have had one comeback fight at most by January. Dubois, at 24-3 with 23 knockouts, is coming off the most destructive night of his career.

Parker’s case rests on his name and his record. He is a former world champion who beat Wilder and Zhang, and heavyweights with that kind of CV are rarely short of a big fight. A sharp performance in Germany would make the selection look a lot less surprising.

Hearn has his own interest in where Dubois goes next, with Anthony Joshua wanting revenge against Dubois after Fury vs Joshua. Warren’s view of the champion’s path is in our piece on Dubois, Wardley and the 2027 unification picture.

For all the latest from the big men, head to our heavyweight boxing hub, and catch up on the Fury vs Joshua fight page.