Fabio Wardley may have one more opponent standing between him and his ultimate goal.

Following his upset technical-knockout win over Joseph Parker on October 25 at O2 Arena in London, Wardley fell to the canvas in tears. Grabbing the WBO interim title wasn’t the only reason for his jubilation.

Winning it, however, was important, as it meant he would be next in line to face Ring and undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Their handlers will now engage in talks and attempt to work out a deal. If Usyk-Wardley isn’t made, Gustavo Olivieri, president of the WBO, has made it clear that Wardley would have to face mandatory contender Moses Itauma.

“The committee reserves the right to enforce a mandatory on the interim champion,” Olivieri told The Ring. “If Usyk is not available for any justified reason, we would enforce a mandatory.”

In the case of Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs), his rankings and stock have skyrocketed lately. Viewed as one of the most talented fighters in boxing, he recently proved that there’s a considerable amount of substance to his game.

The 20-year-old contender made it look easy against former WBC interim champion Dillian Whyte on August 16 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

After stopping Whyte in the first round, he was made the WBO’s No. 1 contender. Itauma is also the WBA’s No. 1 contender for another title held by Ukraine’s Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs).

Initially, his team appeared on the verge of scheduling his next fight for December 13. However, his promoter, Frank Warren, stated recently that those plans were scrapped.

Getting a crack at Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) and his interim strap may not be a step that either man wants, though, as both fighters are trained by Ben Davison.

In a previous interview done with The Ring, Wardley acknowledged that Itauma could eventually go from friend to foe. And while it isn’t ideal, he wants those on the outside looking in to take notice of the great work his team and coaches are doing behind the scenes.

“It’s a positive for me, it’s a positive for him (Itauma), it’s a positive for Ben, and for the gym that we are training alongside each other and that Ben is producing great fighters like this,” Wardley told The Ring. “We are coming through, working our way through the division and picking up wins and world titles.”