WHO’S NEXT FOR DANIEL DUBOIS?
It was another weekend to remember for Daniel Dubois as he solidified his claims as the best heavyweight in the world with a second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley in their highly anticipated rematch.
So, with Dubois at the top of many people’s heavyweight tree, we have taken a look at who could potentially be next to challenge him for his WBO World Heavyweight Title, and we’ve divided it up into who we believe is likely, possible and unlikely.
LIKELY
Filip Hrgovic 2
The first, and arguably the most obvious one, is a rematch with the reigning IBF World Heavyweight Champion Filip Hrgovic.
Fresh off the back of his upset win over Moses Itauma in August, Hrgovic is now highly regarded as one of the best heavyweights on the planet, and rightly so.
The only defeat of his professional career came at the hands of Dubois back in June 2024, but since then, he’s unbeaten in four fights and has looked to have improved with each fight.
If the first fight between the two was anything to go by, this would certainly be a rematch to get excited about, and with no news regarding Hrgovic’s world title defence against Frank Sanchez, a potential unification clash with Dubois could well be the perfect way for the heavyweight division to kick off 2027.
Agit Kabayel
Another man who’s a world champion and another man who’s under the same promotional banner as Dubois is Germany’s very own Agit Kabayel.
Arguably one of the most avoided men in the division, he is the reigning WBC World Heavyweight Champion and is the only fighter in The Ring Magazine’s top 10 heavyweights who is undefeated, other than the great Oleksandr Usyk.
Following six straight knockout victories, including taking the undefeated records of the likes of Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Damian Knyba in the process, Kabayel is set to make the first defence of his world title against Nelson Hysa at the end of next month.
IF he comes through that with flying colours, don’t be surprised to see him face off with Dubois in a unification clash that would undoubtedly sell out stadiums in both the UK and Germany.
Tyson Fury/Anthony Joshua Winner
Now for the one which probably appeals most on both a global and domestic scale.
With Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua FINALLY getting it on on December 11 in Cardiff for the WBA World Heavyweight Title, a convincing win by either fighter would almost certainly put them in pole position for a unification clash with Dubois in early 2027.
Promoter Frank Warren has already talked up the possibility of Dubois fighting the winner of Fury vs Joshua, and it is, commercially, the biggest fight out there for the WBO world champion.
He infamously knocked out Anthony Joshua in front of a packed-out Wembley Stadium back in September 2024, but if Joshua can stop Fury in emphatic fashion, the rematch with Dubois becomes HUGE.
As for a fight with Fury, it’ll be a proper clash of styles. The older, experienced boxer against the younger, fresher power puncher.
A proper pick ’em fight.
It will all depend on what happens on December 11, though, because as we previously mentioned, if there’s a convincing winner between Fury and Joshua, the unification fight with Dubois could potentially be the biggest fight of 2027.
POSSIBLE
Murat Gassiev
On to the opponents who are a possibility for Dubois’s next fight, and we start off with WBA champion Murat Gassiev.
He was a unified champion down at cruiserweight before stepping up to heavyweight and becoming the WBA world champion when stopping Kubrat Pulev last December.
The Russian made the first defence of his world title with a sixth-round stoppage of Peter Kadiru in July and hasn’t boxed or really been linked with anyone apart from Derek Chisora since.
With Dubois relatively fresh after going less than two rounds with Wardley, it’s a fight that would make sense before the end of the year.
Joseph Parker
A fight that was meant to happen in February of last year but was cancelled just two days before due to Dubois’s illness, it’s certainly one that many boxing fans wouldn’t mind seeing in the near future.
Parker suffered a devastating stoppage defeat to Fabio Wardley last October before a stint on the sidelines due to a failed drugs test, with UKAD recently clearing him of any wrongdoing.
The popular New Zealander is keen to get back in the ring as soon as possible, and with him ranked No. 6 by the WBO and also part of Queensberry’s incredible heavyweight stable, it’s certainly a fight that would be easy to make and still makes a lot of sense as a voluntary defence.
Bakhodir Jalolov
The final possible next opponent for Dubois is the two-time Olympic gold medallist and now 18-0 pro Bakhodir Jalolov.
Again, ranked in the top 10 by the WBO and also promoted by Queensberry, he stopped all 14 of his first professional opponents before claiming three points decision victories from his last four fights.
He made relatively easy work of former GB Podium Squad member Sol Dacres last weekend, and with him ranked in the top 15 by the WBO, WBC and IBF, he’s highly regarded as one of the best heavyweight contenders there is.
It may not aesthetically be the easiest fight to watch considering Jalolov’s style, but again, it’s a fight that could quite easily get made.
UNLIKELY
Oleksandr Usyk 3
On to the opponents that Dubois is unlikely to face next, but fights that we wouldn’t mind seeing, and first up, it’s a trilogy clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
Usually, if a fighter has already beaten an opponent twice, the last thing that people need to see is a trilogy fight, but in this case, it’s slightly different.
Usyk vacated his world titles, which ultimately led to Dubois becoming a two-time world champion, to chase mega-money fights, but with nothing materialising so far for Usyk, he may look to change tack and become undisputed again.
He stopped Dubois on both occasions in their first two fights, but this is a much-improved Daniel Dubois, and with Usyk turning 40 in a matter of months, it could well be perfect timing for Dubois to get revenge over his Ukrainian nemesis.
Deontay Wilder
A man who has lost four of his last seven fights but, to his credit, is still highly regarded as one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division, Deontay Wilder is a name that is still continuously linked with some of the big players in the division.
One of THE biggest punchers to have EVER put on a pair of boxing gloves, he was linked with fights against both Oleksandr Usyk and Jai Opetaia before they fell through.
He is by no means the indestructible force that he was before his trilogy with Tyson Fury, but nevertheless, it would be a fight between two of the biggest punchers of the 21st century, and it would almost guarantee a highlight-reel knockout for one of the two. And let’s be honest, we all love a good highlight-reel knockout.
Richard Riakporhe
The last name on our long list of potential opponents for Daniel Dubois is the reigning British champion Richard Riakporhe.
A world title challenger back down at cruiserweight, he made the long-overdue step up to heavyweight last year, and he’s looked a different beast since doing so.
Three fights, three wins and three stoppages. He may well be the dark horse of this heavyweight division.
It’s a case of ‘high risk, low reward’ for Dubois, considering Riakporhe isn’t as well known globally as the majority of the fighters that we have previously listed, but it’s an all-British fight for a heavyweight world title, and that alone sells out arenas in the UK.