The immediate aftermath of a touted prospect’s highest profile knockout yet is a heady time. It enables boxing fans and writers to let mythical matchups play out in their head, to boldly predict a years-long reign for the prospect. Seasoned media members pump the brakes a little bit. But everybody’s excited.
Following Moses Itauma’s one-round destruction of a faded Dillian Whyte, the boxing world has arrived at a consensus that he is a generational talent. The 13-0 (11 KOs) Itauma is yet to fight beyond six rounds, as he did in a pair of points victories in 2023. Since, nobody has been able to stand up to him for more than two rounds.
So who is next for this red-hot, more-than-likely future star who, at 20 years old, has already snagged the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board’s No. 10 spot at heavyweight? Should he continue carefully crafting his career against has-beens and never-weres, or is it time to test himself against the best? Is he actually the most appealing potential opponent for heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk? Would he gas out trying to dent Filip Hrgovic’s chin? Are we getting ahead of ourselves, and should Itauma ignore all the noise to keep crushing overmatched opponents? In the woozy afterglow of the Whyte demolition, anything seems on the table. Here, five potential candidates for Itauma’s next outing.
Jared “Big Baby” Anderson
Anderson, once thought of as a possible future heavyweight champion himself, now seems a fairly ideal resume-booster for Itauma. He is a recognizable name. Following his destructive loss to Martin Bakole, he is perhaps not too threatening of one. At 25 years old, he’s far younger and fresher than the shopworn Whyte (even if his commitment to the sport is suspect). An emphatic win would keep the Itauma hype moving at high speed – imagine if Itauma could finish Anderson faster than Bakole, that human wrecking ball? This is what a real prospect looks like.
Filip Hrgovic
Hrgovic could be of most use to Itauma for his durability. Everyone is saying it, from fans to media to Itauma himself: he needs rounds. Hrgovic has eaten Daniel Dubois’ flush right hands without flinching, which makes a good bet to at least give Itauma a few extra minutes of work. The TBRB ranks him No. 5, so he would represent Itauma’s best win to date. And most importantly, Hrgovic meets the main criteria of potential Itauma opponents at this point in his career: his skills simply don’t stack up against those of the young upstart.
Jermaine Franklin
Franklin is the quintessential middle-tier heavyweight. He’s never been stopped and has beaten everybody he’s fought aside from the two times he stepped up to meet the elite. Itauma should be able to take his time with Franklin without too much fear of what’s coming back.
One caveat, though: Franklin is scheduled to fight Ivan Dychko on the preliminary undercard of Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez on September 13. Franklin, fighting for the first time in almost a year, presumably won’t want to hop right back into the ring with a young monster like Itauma after he fights Dychko. If Itauma is to sustain his momentum, he’ll probably have to fight somebody else while waiting for Franklin.
Joseph Parker
For Itauma to convince the doubters that he’s capable of testing Usyk, little would help his case more than cutting down Usyk’s most deserving challenger. Parker has a significant edge in experience, but also has established vulnerabilities – he’s been stopped, he’s been outclassed. A better version of Whyte once beat Parker. Itauma may never have been past the sixth round, but has the faster hands and more explosive skillset.
There lies a fascinating competitive tension: can Parker take Itauma into the deep waters, or can Itauma possibly blow him out like he did Whyte? Might Itauma fight more conservatively against a top contender? Will Parker’s recent ability to defuse enormous punchers work against Itauma and his lightning-quick hands? I find all these questions worth seeking the answers to, and if Usyk goes the unpopular route of fighting Tyson Fury for a third time, Parker-Itauma in the co-main event might satisfy the dissenters.
Oleksandr Usyk
Many have laid out compelling cases against this fight. I remain potentially intrigued. There is an audible drumbeat for Usyk against Parker, who has certainly earned his shot. But who, really, thinks Parker could win? The technically sound, hardworking New Zealander is a known quantity: a very good heavyweight one rung below the best. The appetite for this fight is more out of the desire for Parker to get a deserving reward and for Usyk to add a fresh name to his resume in the glamor division than any real expectation of competitiveness.
Itauma may eventually prove himself better than Parker. He could become so dominant that he inherits the heavyweight world from Usyk and rules for years, leaving fans to wonder how the two would have matched up. According to boxing news tonight, why not turn those hypotheticals into reality before it’s too late? With the champion injured and taking his time before his next fight, Itauma has a window—though not a large one—to prepare for a 12-round war. He can go extra rounds in sparring or face durable opponents to sharpen his skills. Then, early in 2026, he and Usyk could finally rumble.
Is the disparity in experience cavernous? Sure, but I don’t believe that makes this fight a farce. In the past two years, we’ve seen Tyson Fury (abysmally) and Anthony Joshua (clinically and violently) box a career-long MMA fighter in Francis Ngannou. Joshua-Jake Paul recently seemed a legitimate possibility.
Unlike those fights, if Usyk-Itauma clicks, it would be spectacular. The depth of Itauma’s skillset is yet to be revealed, but there is a legitimate chance he is the best active heavyweight aside from Usyk. If he could take down the king, the Mike Tyson comparisons will go mainstream. If Usyk even has to dig deep to hold him off, Usyk will magnify his legacy by holding off the most precocious challenger available. And the fight itself could be brilliant. Usyk has given boxing everything it could ask for him, but a clash of generations before he retires would be a magnificent parting gift.
