The WBO has confirmed it’s received a petition to allow Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois to go ahead next—effectively bypassing the current WBO mandatory, Joseph Parker. Read the full story on Sky Sports.
Now, let’s be clear—Usyk’s not avoiding competition. Far from it. He’s the unified heavyweight champion, holding three of the four major belts: WBA, WBO, and IBF. That means he’s not just got Parker chasing him from the WBO side, but mandatory challengers coming at him from three different directions. It’s an impossible balancing act.
Four Belts, Four Bodies, One Big Mess
This is where the whole system starts to collapse under its own weight.
We’ve got four governing bodies—WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC—all claiming to run world boxing. All with their own rules. All with separate ranking systems. All with their own mandatories.
So when someone like Usyk holds multiple belts, he ends up juggling four sets of obligations at once. It’s no wonder things get messy. He can’t defend all of them at the same time, which means someone’s always getting overlooked—usually a deserving contender like Joseph Parker.
And don’t even get me started on the WBC. That’s a whole different conversation.
What About Joseph Parker?
Let’s not forget the main point here: Parker was supposed to get his title shot. He was in line, ready, and waiting. The Dubai fight fell through through no fault of his own. Now he’s being asked to step aside while someone else petitions their way in?
That’s not right. Especially when our breakdown on how rankings work shows how hard fighters have to work to get into mandatory position.
So Why Daniel Dubois Again?
Here’s the short version: Usyk vs Dubois will sell. The heavyweight division’s thin on big names, and TV networks love a marketable clash.
Dubois is young, powerful, and still carries name value despite his last loss being to—guess who—Usyk himself. But if he can jump the queue with a petition, what’s the point in grinding through the rankings?
It’s hard not to feel like merit’s being replaced by marketing.
What Should Happen? Parker vs Dubois
Simple: make Joseph Parker vs Daniel Dubois, and the winner faces Usyk.
That keeps the rankings honest, gives fans a proper eliminator, and means Usyk gets to stay active without ignoring his obligations. If Dubois wins, fair play. If Parker wins, justice is finally done.
Either way, we get clarity. And boxing needs a lot more of that right now.
Final Thoughts: This Can’t Keep Happening
Between four belts, four governing bodies, and endless petitions, boxing’s title scene is borderline broken. The Usyk vs Dubois petition, if allowed, will only make things worse.
If we want fairness, integrity, and real competition, we’ve got to start enforcing the rules the sport itself set up. Otherwise, we might as well scrap the rankings entirely and go full WWE.
Join the Debate
Do you think Usyk vs Dubois should go ahead next? Or should Parker get his shot first?
Drop your thoughts in the comments, share this with other fans, and visit CMBoxing for more honest, no-nonsense boxing breakdowns.
Let’s talk about the fights that should happen—not just the ones that sell.