Dubois vs Itauma is a heavyweight rivalry for the future — SkimNews
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- Daniel Dubois demolished Fabio Wardley in two rounds on Saturday (18 October 2026) to defend the WBO heavyweight world title in a rematch of their first epic brawl.
- Moses Itauma suffered his first professional loss when Filip Hrgovic stopped him in the ninth round of their IBF world championship fight, after Itauma had outboxed him for eight rounds before tiring and unraveling.
- Both Dubois (29) and Itauma (21) are young enough — especially for heavyweights — to fight each other in their primes and potentially two or three times, unlike Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, whose long-awaited first meeting in Cardiff in December will be a swansong bout.
- Promoter Frank Warren, who represents both fighters, said Itauma will have a comeback fight in January and predicted the Hrgovic defeat will make him a better fighter, echoing how Dubois rebounded after his 2020 loss to Joe Joyce.
- Dubois openly backed the potential rivalry, telling Sky Sports: "You need dance partners," when asked if he wanted Itauma to return to the heavyweight title picture.
- Warren framed the broader picture: "What a great position that British boxing's in... we are on a mission to get these heavyweights under an umbrella but make the fights happen," crediting years of matchmaking work.
Why it matters: Frank Warren now controls two young British heavyweights with years of prime fighting time — Dubois holding a world title at 29 and the rebuilding Itauma at 21 — and the contrast with the aging Fury-Joshua generation means British boxing's heavyweight identity is shifting from a single delayed blockbuster to a multi-fight rivalry the promoter can actually build.
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