Moses Itauma has been recommended as the WBO’s mandatory challenger at heavyweight, putting the 21-year-old on a possible collision course with stablemate and current titleholder Fabio Wardley.
Itauma extended his unbeaten run on Saturday in Manchester, stopping Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round for Franklin’s first career stoppage loss. The win moved Itauma to 14-0 with 12 victories by knockout.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced on X that Itauma’s recent performances have strengthened his case in the division and that he would be formally recommended for a shot at the organisation’s heavyweight belt.
Wardley, who trains under Ben Davison—the same coach as Itauma—defends the WBO title against Daniel Dubois on May 9. Itauma backed Wardley to get past Dubois but acknowledged that a Wardley victory would create a difficult situation for everyone involved, given their shared gym and trainer.
Reflecting on his rapid rise, Itauma said he expected to win titles when he turned pro but admitted he did not anticipate reaching this level so quickly, calling himself a young fighter chasing a dream.
When Wardley was elevated to full WBO champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt, he stressed that both he and Itauma are on separate paths for now and that they each need to secure world titles before seriously considering a matchup between them.
Itauma has also expressed interest in fighting top names like Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, but he is realistic about those chances. He acknowledged Usyk has other priorities and fighters ahead of him, and suggested Fury is likely to pursue larger, more lucrative or less risky match-ups, such as bouts with Anthony Joshua, making a fight with him unlikely in the near term.
With the WBO expected to formalise Itauma as the mandatory challenger, more immediate possibilities now seem to be bouts involving Daniel Dubois or Fabio Wardley, depending on how the forthcoming Wardley–Dubois fight plays out.