Moses Itauma has entered the Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings.
The Chatham southpaw dispatched Dillian Whyte in the first round on Saturday night and has been rewarded with a No. 10 rating for his efforts.
Itauma replaces Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba on the list, while Oleksandr Usyk remains the champion.
The top five is made up of Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua.
Meanwhile, Filip Hrgovic, Fabio Wardley, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole sit just above Itauma from No.6 to No.9.
Itauma’s new ranking is a signal that he is now encroaching on world-level opposition.
The 20-year-old has barely put a foot wrong during a perfect 13-0 start to life in the paid ranks and has made quick work of almost every man he has shared the ring with.
His last nine fights have ended inside two rounds, with the precocious talent proving too good for domestic and fringe contenders.
Itauma’s 119-second demolition of former world title challenger Whyte was as good an indication as any that he needs to take a step up in class.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh wants Itauma to fight Usyk next, but the youngster’s handlers are keen for their man to get more rounds under his belt before then.
Jermaine Franklin has been mentioned as a potential next opponent.
And while the American has proved to have a sturdy jaw during his 23-2 career, it would be perceived as a step down in opposition, given that he lost to Whyte in 2022.
Who should Moses Itauma fight next?
A far more sensible pick would be Hrgovic. The Croatian scored a dominant decision win over David Adeleye on Itauma’s undercard over the weekend and proved he was made of sterner stuff by standing up to 13 consecutive hooks from the British puncher.
Hrgovic is proven at world level and would provide invaluable experience for Itauma while acting as an effective yardstick to see how close he is to being ready to challenge for a major title.
This is the thought process of talkSPORT’s Adam Catterall, who put Hrgovic’s name forward while discussing Itauma’s next steps on the White and Jordan show earlier this week.
Catterall explained: “I personally would like to see him maybe fight Filip Hrgovic next.
“Off the back of what Hrgovic did at the weekend, I think that might be the right test for Moses Itauma.
“We might get a few more answers that people want to see, before we then throw him in with the likes of the elites that we’ve just mentioned.”