Dubois faces Itauma mandatory as Wardley weighs rematch options

Daniel Dubois could be on a collision course with Moses Itauma after the 21-year-old is reportedly set to be named WBO mandatory challenger, according to The Ring's Declan Taylor. The wrinkle: Dubois has a contracted rematch clause with Fabio Wardley following their Manchester war at Co-op Live Arena, promoter Frank Warren confirmed.

Dubois had suggested Warren wanted him to beat Wardley specifically to avoid an Itauma matchup, as Wardley and Itauma train in the same gym. Wardley called that pairing "an impossibility" last week. Now Dubois finds himself caught between the sanctioning body's demand and the rematch option Warren built into the contract.

Rematch or rebuild for Wardley

Wardley could trigger the immediate do-over despite the beating he absorbed late. Taylor noted the 31-year-old will be sick that he dropped Dubois twice in the first three rounds but still lost. British heavyweights have form in turning the tables — Anthony Joshua against Andy Ruiz, Lennox Lewis against Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall, all flipped rematches after losing the first.

If Wardley walks away from the rematch, his rebuild options include Tony Yoka, who lost his Lawrence Okolie fight to a failed drug test, or Murat Gassiev, the WBA regular titleholder desperate to box in England. Gassiev stopped Kubrat Pulev in Dubai last December and has no date booked. Taylor suggested Wardley's 95 per cent knockout ratio might scare off most contenders willing to meet him at crossroads level.

One route past the Itauma mandatory for Dubois: an undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk, who stated on "Inside The Ring" that he wants the Dubois-Wardley winner after his Rico Verhoeven crossover in Egypt this month. Usyk has stopped Dubois twice already, which may dampen appetite for a trilogy. Dubois could also chase a revenge fight with Joe Joyce, who handed him his first loss in November 2020, or face 40-year-old Deontay Wilder in a potential O2 sell-out. Both men next fight in early summer at earliest.

Source: ringmagazine.com