Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley next fight options analyzed

Daniel Dubois has multiple paths forward after stopping Fabio Wardley to claim the WBO heavyweight title Saturday in Manchester, with promoter Frank Warren confirming that a rematch clause exists alongside an emerging mandatory obligation.

According to The Ring Magazine's Declan Taylor, Moses Itauma is set to be named WBO mandatory challenger — complicating Dubois's immediate plans, given Warren also promotes the 21-year-old Ipswich prospect who trains alongside Wardley. Itauma's camp had previously called a fight with Wardley "an impossibility" due to their shared gym, but that barrier no longer applies to Dubois.

Usyk unification would trump mandatory obligations

Oleksandr Usyk told "Inside The Ring" that he wants to face the Dubois-Wardley winner after his kickboxing bout with Rico Verhoeven in Egypt this month, per Taylor's column. A unification with the IBF, WBC, and WBA champion would typically override mandatory demands, though Usyk has already stopped Dubois twice and appetite for a third meeting remains thin despite the Englishman's performance Saturday.

For Wardley, the loss opens questions about whether he exercises the rematch option or rebuilds elsewhere. Taylor notes the 31-year-old southpaw dropped Dubois twice in the opening three rounds but ultimately absorbed heavy punishment late, and "privately, he will be sick" about the outcome. Wardley previously drew with Frazer Clarke before stopping him in their rematch, establishing a pattern of correction in second fights.

Should Dubois gain clearance for a voluntary defence, Taylor floated Deontay Wilder as a commercial opportunity that would play well at London's O2 Arena, while a Joe Joyce rematch would settle unfinished business from the 2020 stoppage that sparked years of "quitter" allegations. Wardley could target Tony Yoka after the Frenchman's bout with Lawrence Okolie fell through, or pursue WBA "regular" titleholder Murat Gassiev, who beat Kubrat Pulev in December and reportedly wants to fight in Britain.

Dubois is expected to make his next move once the WBO clarifies Itauma's mandatory status and Warren decides whether to activate the rematch clause.

Source: ringmagazine.com