The current top 10 lists Oleksandr Usyk as champion, followed by Fabio Wardley, Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, and Itauma in the fifth spot, ahead of Martin Bakole, Efe Ajagba, Richard Torrez Jr., Murat Gassiev, and Lawrence Okolie.
Reaction online focused on the lack of a defining test in Itauma’s record so far. While his performances have been dominant, he has yet to face an opponent currently ranked inside the division’s top tier.
Several fans pointed to Torrez Jr. as the type of opponent that would give a clearer reading of Itauma’s level, given his own standing inside the top 10 and similar stage of development.
Calling Jermaine Franklin a “test” at this stage feels like a stretch, especially when he looked like he’d spent more time at the buffet than in the gym before last Saturday.
The Dillian Whyte win was a great name for the resume, but anyone with eyes saw that Whyte was a shell of himself. He was slow, hesitant, and essentially there to collect a check. If we’re being honest, beating a “gunshy” veteran and a “woeful” Franklin doesn’t scream top-five heavyweight in the world.
The Ring ranking Itauma #5 off the back of those wins is definitely “ranking the potential” rather than the reality. If he doesn’t face someone like Torrez Jr., Bakole, or even Gassiev next, that Ring Magazine ranking is going to look more like a marketing brochure than a legitimate list.
2020 Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. has been vocal about wanting this fight with Itauma. He’s gone on record saying he’d fly to the UK to “see who the baddest man is.”
With Top Rank recently moving to DAZN, the promotional hurdles between Bob Arum and Frank Warren of Queensberry are much lower than they used to be. The platform is already there to host a massive “Prospect vs. Prospect” mega-fight.
