Joseph Parker will be stripped of heavyweight title after ONE SECOND of fight with Daniel Dubois due to bizarre rule
JOSEPH PARKER will be stripped of his WBO interim heavyweight title after just ONE SECOND of his fight against Daniel Dubois.
Parker won the trinket belt against Zhilei Zhang in March.
But he now challenges for Dubois’ full IBF world title on February 22 in Saudi Arabia.
By fighting for a different governing bodies’ belt it will result in Parker losing his WBO gold as soon as the first bell sounds.
WBO President Gustavo Olivieri posted on social media: “The WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion, Joseph Parker, embodies the true spirit of the sport.
“A consummate professional, a gentleman, and a champion both inside and outside the ring, Parker has represented the WBO with great honor and integrity.
“In accordance with WBO policy regarding the unification of interim titles, we have mutually agreed that Joseph Parker will enter the ring as champion, and he will be announced as such.
“However, upon the sound of the opening bell, the title will be declared vacant.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to Joseph Parker for his dedication to the sport and look forward to his continued success in his career.
“All the best against Dubois. The doors of the WBO will always be open.”
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Parker, 32, once held the WBO title himself after defeating Andy Ruiz Jr, 35, by majority decision in 2016.
But he lost it two years later against Anthony Joshua, 35.
Joshua was most recently knocked out by Dubois, 27, in September and decided against an immediate rematch.
So Parker took his place and instead challenges for the title.