Alexander Ustinov on the attack during his win over David Tua.

Could the man who ended David Tua's career be lined up as Joseph Parker's comeback opponent?

Duco Boxing are remaining tight lipped on the Kiwi heavyweight boxer's next opponent following his WBO title loss to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on April 1.

They say they have "several options on the go" but are wary of getting into a public bidding war in a market where Parker's ability to go the distance with Joshua keeps the Kiwi on the dangerous list as fighters look to manouevre into mandatory positions.

GETTY IMAGES Joseph Parker needs to come back strongly after the first loss of his career to Anthony Joshua.

But Russian Alexander Ustinov is a name that is in the whispers as Parker plots his next move at what is a critical junction in his career following his first loss.

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STUFF New Zealand heavyweight great David Tua walked away from fighting after losing to Alexander Ustinov on points in November 2013.

Ustinov has appeal on several fronts.

Duco won't want to pay a fortune as the reality of their new situation hits home.

They have also intimated that Parker's next fight is likely to be in New Zealand as they struggle to find a slot for him in the busy British scene.

STUFF David Tua struggled to cope with the impressive physical dimensions of Alexander Ustinov.

Ustinov, who has a No 10 ranking with the WBA, would be a marketable fighter on the back of his one and only appearance in New Zealand when he beat Tua by a unanimous points decision in November 2013.

Tua walked away from fighting on the back of that loss after struggling to counter the height and reach of the 2.02m Ustinov.

Parker was left to carry the baton for New Zealand boxing and gained a genuine world title in late 2016 and maximised that for more than a year, earning a massive pay day against Joshua.

His rebuild may now find the massive Ustinov in his crosshairs.

Ustinov was touted as an opponent for Parker back in 2015 as the Kiwi camp came to the realisation that they needed to fight taller and bigger opponents, given the size of the fighters ruling the division.

That fight never eventuated and Ustinov carried on a career that has had just two losses in 36 fights with 25 KO victories.

Ustinov, 41, has a considerable background in kickboxing and has dabbled in MMA.

But he has concentrated on boxing since 2007 with good success.

He was touted as a possible opponent for Joshua last year but blotted his chances with a unanimous points loss to Germany's Manuel Charr for the WBA's third-ranked regular heavyweight title.

Ustinov hasn't fought since that loss last November.

He has only been knocked out once, in his 2012 loss to rugged Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev.

He was in the mix of fighters being discussed as possible opponents for Tyson Fury's highly anticipated June 9 comeback but British reports suggest he was deemed "too dangerous".

Ustinov has shown a willingness to travel – he has fought extensively throughout Europe, has appeared in the United States and, of course, knows New Zealand.

His WBA ranking would be useful to Parker's rebuild. It's the one organisation that hasn't ranked the Kiwi since his loss.

The IBF are the latest of the four main organisations to give Parker a ranking, placing him at No 7 though he is effectively one spot higher than that with the IBF having no No 1 on their list at the moment.

Parker has been ranked at No 5 with both the WBO and WBC, respectable rankings that make the assignment of getting another mandatory shot at a world title realistic though that could take 18 months to two years to achieve, providing he can keep busy and winning.

There will be pressure for an impressive performance from Parker next up and a desire to return to his knockout ways after four successive fights without that element in his game.