British heavyweight boxing found its new heavyweight king at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena this Saturday. Daniel Dubois climbed off the canvas twice to stop Fabio Wardley in the 11th round, capturing the WBO heavyweight title in what promoter Frank Warren called the finest heavyweight fight he has ever staged.
Dubois has now won two world heavyweight titles in his last three fights. At just 28, “Dynamite” is back on top of British boxing. Speculation is already mounting over his next move, with several elite names emerging as frontrunners for a shot at the new king.
Moses Itauma Mandatory Looms Large as Daniel Dubois Weighs His Title Defense Options
Dubois has three realistic paths forward, each with different risks and rewards.
The most immediate obligation is a WBO mandatory defense. Moses Itauma, 21, is set to be named the challenger after WBO President Gustavo Olivieri recommended the move following Itauma’s fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin.
Itauma, unbeaten in 14 fights with 12 knockouts, is ranked No. 1 by the WBO. Before the fight, he himself told Ariel Helwani, per the Punch website, “Obviously, if Dubois wins, it’ll probably be more likely to happen.” While he is inexperienced at this level, his power is real. For Dubois, this is the cleanest route to stay active and keep his belt.
The second option is a rematch with Wardley. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed a rematch clause exists. However, Wardley likely needs months to recover from the facial damage he took on Saturday. Strategically, Dubois gains little by fighting Wardley again right now.
A third fight with Oleksandr Usyk is the most lucrative option and Usyk has said he is open to fighting the winner. However, Dubois has already lost to the Ukrainian twice — once in 2023 and again in July 2025. A third fight is a hard sell to the public unless Dubois builds more momentum first.
Still, the most sensible call right now is to fight Itauma. By taking on the younger challenger, Dubois can defend his belt while waiting for the bigger fights involving Usyk, Fury, and Joshua to settle
After the victory, Dubois made it clear that this win was mostly about proving his critics wrong.
“It was a war. Thank you, Fabio, for that,” Dubois told DAZN, per BBC. “I had to pull it out of the bag and use all my skills. What a great fight.”
He was clearly happy to be back on top, adding, “What a great battle. But I’m number one again.” To stay there, his best move is to avoid chasing a risky, big-money fight right away. Instead, he should satisfy his boxing requirements by fighting Itauma, who has verbally agreed to the match.
