The 31-year-old WBO heavyweight champion explained he was not interested in sharing the ring with The Wrecking Ball, 21, as their shared gym set-up and career trajectories make a fight between them a non-starter for now.
Speaking to The Ring, The Barista said: “I don’t think that’s a bridge either of us are anywhere near at the moment.
“Right now we very much see each other as stablemates and he is someone I train next to. With us being in the same gym next to each other, it’s just an impossibility right now.”
Wardley captured the WBO belt with his destructive stoppage win last year over Joseph Parker, 34, and remains unbeaten with a 20-0 record, 19 of those victories coming by knockout.
His team is currently mapping out plans for his first title defence, which is expected to take place in the spring.
While Itauma continues to rise rapidly, Wardley is adamant the younger man is not yet on his radar.
He said: “Don’t get me wrong, I want to see him do well, kick on and smash that record as well but just not with my belt.”
Itauma - who holds a 13-0 record with 11 knockouts - had been due to face Jermaine Franklin, 32, in January 2026 before injury forced the bout to be postponed until March.
Promoter Frank Warren remains keen to fast-track him towards a world title opportunity, with Prince Naseem Hamed’s record as Britain’s youngest world champion firmly in mind.
However, with champion Oleksandr Usyk, 38, holding the other three major heavyweight belts, Wardley remains the only realistic domestic route to a title - a scenario he believes still comes far too early.
He said: “Obviously I understand the interest. People want to look at our two styles and say it would be a great matchup.
“But right now, nothing like that is going to come together just because of circumstance.”
Instead, Wardley believes any future meeting should only happen when both fighters have cleared the rest of the division.
He said: “There’s still a lot out there for both of us to tick off. Maybe once I’ve got two belts and he’s got two, then we need to have a serious conversation.”
In the meantime, attention has turned to more immediate opponents, and discussions have been ongoing about a potential fight with veteran heavyweight Derek Chisora, 42, who is targeting a landmark 50th bout.
Wardley also confirmed he has heard call-outs from former two-time world champion Tyson Fury, 37, who is expected to return later this year.
Wardley said: “This is Tyson Fury we are talking about. Everything is a lot of talk with him. But when he finally says, ‘let’s have it’, I’ll be there.”
