The Lawrence Okolie situation is a great blessing for Itauma. With Okolie likely to be removed from the rankings due to his failed drug test, Itauma not only moves up; he becomes the de facto king in waiting for that no. 1 place. If Oleksandr Usyk moves past Rico Verhoeven on May 23 and decides the Agit Kabayel commitment isn’t worth it, Itauma is suddenly fighting for a world title before he’s had 15 more fights.
The only real mess is the Fabio Wardley situation. Since they share a gym, that WBO route is effectively closed as long as Wardley holds the belt. Unless Daniel Dubois pulls off an upset on May 9, the WBC is really his only path to a title shot in 2026.
The danger for Itauma is the date itself, 25 July. If the titles don’t settle by mid-June, his team has to pick someone.
Deontay Wilder is the name floating around that carries the most high-risk energy. Wilder is obviously past his prime, but as Itauma himself noted, the power is the last thing to go.
Filip Hrgovic has been outspoken about Itauma being in his contract, but with his May 16 fight against Dave Allen, the turnaround for Julie is tight.
Itauma is in a rare position where he can afford to let the division come to him. Most 21-year-olds have to take any knockout thrown their way, but because he’s already held the WBO mandatory position and is a top-three fight in the WBC, he essentially has a winning lottery ticket.
The only real “mess” is the Fabio Wardley situation. Since they share a gym, that WBO route is effectively closed as long as Wardley holds the belt. Unless Daniel Dubois pulls off an upset on May 9, the WBC is really his only path to a title shot in 2026.
