Now that Dubois has defeated Flip Hrgovic to win the “interim” IBF title, he is the favorite to sell out the stadium.
However, Joshua’s opponents Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are also contenders to welcome him back to the British boxing scene.
“His Excellency will ultimately decide who the opponent is, with myself, with Josh, with 258 [Management], but the key for ‘AJ’ is for him to become world champion again,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing Scene.
“If Dubois is competing for the IBF, he is most likely the front-runner; if the title isn’t at stake, Zhang or Parker could win.
“While I believe all three of those names are respectable, no decision has been made as of yet, and I don’t expect one will be for another week or so.
“We’ll make an announcement during a press conference on June 26; we don’t really care which of them it is.”
After defeating Wilder, 38, in December, Parker, 32, has not made a comeback.
Zhang, 41, appears to have put a stop to the former WBC champion from America with a knockout victory in Saudi Arabia.
That same evening, Dubois, 26, defeated Hrgovic, 32, to secure his place in the world championship.
Oleksandr Usyk, 37, defeated Tyson Fury, 35, and it was anticipated that he would lose the IBF belt.
However, there is still optimism that he will keep the title and defend it in their rematch on December 21.
Hearn, however, is attempting to get it removed so that Joshua, 34, can run against Dubois in the summer.
