Moses Itauma is set to be the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title and could clash with stablemate Fabio Wardley.
The 21-year-old Itauma had another standout performance on Saturday night, handing his first overtime loss to Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round in Manchester, improving his record to 14-0, with 12 of his wins coming by knockout.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri posted on social media platform
When I first became a pro, I thought I would win the title, but I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. I’m just a boy chasing a dream.
Moses Itauma defeated Jermaine Franklin
Wardley, who is trained by Itauma’s fellow trainer Ben Davison, will defend his championship against Daniel Dubois on May 9, which could put him in an “awkward predicament” if he wins, Itauma said.
The up-and-coming fighter said before knocking out Franklin, “I think Fabio can beat[Dubois]. Fabio continues to surprise everyone. If we take him lightly, he will end up beating Dubois.”
“I don’t really know what to expect from Fabio, but I think Fabio will probably win.
“It’s going to be an awkward predicament because he’s obviously in the same gym as me. It all makes sense, everything makes sense.”
Itauma’s record is 14 wins and 0 losses, with 12 of his wins coming by knockout.
At the end of last year, before he was promoted to full WBO champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his title, Wardley told Sky Sports about the possibility of a fight with Itauma:
“Right now, Moses and I are going our separate ways. We both need to win world titles first before we can talk about crossing swords.
“There’s enough out there for both of us to try and commit to ourselves before we start thinking seriously about getting in the ring at the same time.”
Itauma wants Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury but expects to wait
Itauma wants Fury and Usyk but expects to have to wait
Ahead of the fight with Franklin, Itauma told Sky Sports he would “love” a crack at Usyk but doesn’t expect it to happen anytime soon.
He feels the same way about his blockbuster fight with Tyson Fury, who will return to the ring to face Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
“Why is Usyk fighting me?” said Itauma. “Obviously he has other people on the agenda, and it’s not just that he has a whole list of people in front of me.
“I don’t think Tyson wants to take the fight. I don’t know. He has a big fight with Anthony Joshua, for example, but it could still cost a lot of money.
“He knows there are a lot of other fights that could probably earn him more money and it’s not going to be that big of a fight. It doesn’t mean much to him.”
Usyk and Fury may be a long way off, but Dubois and Wardley don’t appear to be.
