Joseph Parker is the favored opponent to challenge Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title in February.

Dubois retained his world title with a stunning fifth-round knockout victory over Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September and has a number of opponents being considered for a title defense in early 2025.

Joshua will not look to stage an immediate rematch as the scheduled date does not fit with his plans for next year, but WBO interim champion Parker has emerged as the leading candidate to share the ring with Dubois.

The New Zealander propelled himself into world title contention with impressive wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang following a stoppage loss to Joe Joyce.

Parker is not in the IBF top 15 and the governing body is still expected to give the 32-year-old the green light to become a challenger for their champion Dubois.

When asked about Parker, Dubois promoter Frank Warren said Aerial sports last month: “It has to be reasonable and certainly for him fighting Daniel, he meets the criteria. He’s made a big recovery after Joe Joyce.”

Zhang and Martin Bakole also welcomed the opportunity to fight Dubois, while Fabio Wardley was linked with a world title shot following his first-round knockout of Frazer Clarke.