Ricky Hatton thinks that Moses Itauma should face a home grown opponent before facing heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Itauma claimed his 11th early stoppage win as he went 13-0 by beating veteran Dillian Whyte last weekend.
The 20-year-old has made quite an impression on the boxing world since turning professional in 2023.
The rumour mill is now churning out opponents that could possibly take Itauma into the later rounds, including Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko and Kevin Espindola managed to do.
With the boxing fraternity sharing their opinions, Hatton has told BBC Sport that he thinks the best course of action is for the rising star to build up more experience before sharing the ring with Usyk.
He said: “I think they might have stepped him up a bit too quick.
“It was a very experienced performance, way beyond his years.
“They’re talking about Usyk next, woah, let’s just hold fire there just a little bit.
“Usyk will only have a couple [more fights]. If you look at the heavyweights coming through, it’s wide open for Itauma and I think he can clear up.”
Hatton proposed two British names to a growing list of potential opponents.
He said: “Fabio Wardley or Frazer Clarke, which are good domestic fights.
“Fighting domestic fights to get your fan base rising. He has got his fan base rising all the time, but I think that’s what I’d do.
“Hold fire with Usyk because he’s going to get even better, so why fight him now? Get a bit better and then fight him.”
When he turned pro, Wardley made a similar entrance on to the scene to Itauma as he claimed four of out six of his first wins via early stoppage.
Wardley is coming off the back of a glorious hometown win against Justis Huni in June.
While Clarke has been ordered to face Jeamie TKV for the British heavyweight title, should that bout get over the line it will be his third attempt to claim a British title.
The first time around he went the distance with Wardley as their bout it resulted in a draw, but when they ran it back Clarke was knocked out in the first round.
Both men have only fought once since their rematch settled their rivalry in 2024.
What’s next for Itauma?
The WBO have ordered Usyk to defend his title against mandatory challenger Joseph Parker, although the former’s team have requested an extension for negotiations as he is recovering from an injury.
Should Usyk choose the title, Parker would be promoted to full title holder and would likely face Itauma as the WBO’s No.1 ranked heavyweight.
While nothing has been confirmed regarding Itauma’s next move, as of yet, he is certainly a hot topic of conversation amongst the division.