Joseph Parker will finally have a chance to compare himself to Anthony Joshua - well, sort of.
Joshua, the WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, was scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev on October 29 (NZT) in Cardiff, but the Bulgarian suffered an injury to his right shoulder in training and has withdrawn from the bout.
Joshua will instead meet Frenchman Carlos Takam, an opponent familiar to New Zealand fight fans.
WBO champion Parker topped Takam by unanimous decision in Auckland in 2016 in a fight that guaranteed the winner a future shot at Joshua's IBF title.
The Kiwi moved in another direction, when Tyson Fury's vacated WBO strap became available, and he fought and beat Mexican Andy Ruiz before two title defences, most recently against Hughie Fury last month.
Takam, ranked number three by the IBF, benefits from Pulev's injury, with Joshua's manager Eddie Hearn confirming he had no choice over who the opponent would be, as the fight is a mandatory defence under the IBF banner.
Parker's camp will watch the match-up with interest, as it's the first public opportunity to judge the talents of the Brit against their own.
A dominant win for the champion would leave Parker's aspirations of a big money fight with Josuha up in the air, given his perceived lacklustre showing against Fury.
It's the second time in two-weeks that an upcoming heavyweight title fight was forced into last-minute changes.
WBC champion Deontay Wilder was scheduled to face Cuban Luis Ortiz, but the highly rated challenger was removed from the bout, after failing a drugs test.
Canadian Bermane Stiverne has replaced Ortiz and will fight Wilder on November 5 (NZT).
Newshub.
