- Froch picks Dubois to beat Wardley on May 9 — but says Itauma beats both
- Speed, footwork, combinations, power — Froch ticks every box for the 21-year-old
- WBO are set to install Itauma as mandatory for the Wardley-Dubois winner
The Cobra Doesn't Sit On The Fence
Right then, Carl Froch has done what Carl Froch always does — refused to fence-sit. Asked whether Moses Itauma would beat the winner of Saturday's Co-op Live main event, the four-time super-middleweight champion didn't pause for breath. "I think Moses beats both of them. Obviously Daniel Dubois has got that punch that could catch him, as has Fabio Wardley, but I just don't think they're good enough."
That's a heavyweight verdict from a man who actually understands the difference between a top-fifteen contender and a generational talent. Froch isn't selling a TV graphic — he's read what Itauma has done in the gym, what he's done in his last three fights, and concluded that the kid is on a different track.
Why Itauma Is Levels Above Both
Let's not beat around the bush — what Froch is really pointing at is the gap in tools. Wardley is a class pressure-finisher with a granite chin and a championship engine. Dubois hits like a runaway tractor and has world-level scars. Both are proper heavyweights. But Itauma's speed, his footwork, his combination punching — and yes, his actual punch power — are at a level neither has had to deal with.
Froch ran through it like a coach: speed, movement, combinations, power, all four boxes ticked. That's an unusual sentence to hear about a 21-year-old, and it's why every promoter in the sport is pretending they discovered him first. The kid moves like a 175-pounder, throws like a 250-pounder, and reads the ring like a fighter ten years older. If you know, you know.
And here's the kicker that nobody is saying out loud: neither Wardley nor Dubois has the foot speed to cut a ring on Itauma. Pressure-fighting is the answer to him, in theory — but you've got to be able to catch him first. Wardley is a stalker who needs to be in range. Dubois is a stalker who needs to be in range. Itauma simply isn't going to be there for either of them long enough to take a clean shot.
The WBO Order — Bad Timing For Whoever Wins
The WBO has signalled clearly that Itauma is being installed as mandatory challenger for the winner. President Gustavo Olivieri has already pencilled in the order. So whichever of Wardley or Dubois walks out of Manchester with the belt on Saturday is walking straight into the most dangerous mandatory in the heavyweight division.
That's a brutal turnaround. There'll be no soft defence, no voluntary stay-busy, no Riyadh PPV warm-up against a cherry-picked southpaw. Win on Saturday, get Itauma. Win again, become a unified monster. Lose, and the title rolls into Itauma's lap anyway.
Our Verdict
Froch is right. We've said it on Boxing Lookout for months — Itauma announces himself on the world stage the moment a champion has to share a ring with him, and the gap is not closeable. The May 9 winner is fighting for the chance to be next on the conveyor belt.
Boxing Lookout's read: Itauma stops the Wardley-Dubois winner in the second half — and we won't be revising that pick when the mandatory order goes through.