The WBO will move quickly to install Moses Itauma, already No. 1 with the sanctioning body at heavyweight, as their official mandatory contender following his impressive fifth-round victory over Jermaine Franklin at the weekend.
The 21-year-old, seemingly with the world at his feet, is also ranked first by the WBA, he’s third in the latest WBC lists. The IBF, however, rate Itauma at 11th.
“I will formally recommend to the Championship Committee that Mr Itauma be designated as the mandatory challenger in the WBO heavyweight division,” wrote Gustavo Olivieri, president of the WBO, on social media.
The current beltholder, Fabio Wardley, shares the same trainer and promoter – Ben Davison and Queensberry respectively – as Itauma. Wardley takes on Daniel Dubois on May 9 with the winner likely to be ordered to face Itauma next.
Wardley, for now, is not keen on the contest.
“There are different milestones I think Moses will want to tick off,” Wardley told The Sun. “He’s number one with the WBA as well.
“He’s well on his way but ultimately I know people like to try and put us together and whichever else but there’s four belts out there. There’s enough time. So, yeah, everyone can just calm down a bit.”
There are indeed other options for Itauma. Murat Gassiev, for example, holds the secondary WBA belt and it’s expected he too will be ordered to face Itauma. And in December, at the WBC convention in Bangkok, the sanctioning body ordered a fight between Itauma and Lawrence Okolie as an eliminator.
However, Oleksandr Usyk – the true heavyweight champion – has shown no interest in facing Itauma.
