Following on from Daniel Dubois’ dramatic knockout win over Fabio Wardley, fans are discussing an ‘in-house’ first defence of the WBO heavyweight world title against 21-year-old Moses Itauma. Former British champion David Price has revealed why he thinks promoter Frank Warren should avoid the fight for now.
Floored twice within the opening three rounds, Dubois seemed to be on his way to a fourth stoppage defeat of his career, but bit down on his gum shield and overcame adversity to secure an eleventh-round stoppage to become a two-time heavyweight ruler.
Now, it seems as though fellow Queensberry fighter, Itauma, will be installed as his mandatory challenger, opening the door to another evenly matched all-British heavyweight world title showdown.
However, in an interview with Seconds Out, Price explained why he believes both Warren and the fans should be ‘patient’ with that potential match-up, stating that Itauma is not ready for such an arduous test at this point in his career.
“I don’t think that it will happen, because Frank Warren promotes the two of them, it is not going to happen for a long time and rightly so.
“Dubois is 28 [years old], Itauma is 21, that is not going to happen until it is worth what Fury-Joshua is looking towards now or just around that. So, they are not going to do that just yet, I think.
“From an opinion point of view, I would keep Moses Itauma away from Daniel Dubois just now. I don’t think that he is ready for him yet.
“Look at Dubois’ résumé, who he has beaten, who he has lost to, what he has experienced and all of that. Moses Itauma doesn’t need to fight someone like that just yet.
“It will happen and when it does happen it will be much bigger than it is now, but we need to patient with that one.”
Itauma is set to headline the O2 Arena on August 8 before making his US debut toward the end of the 2026 calendar.
