While his fists carve out a niche for him, Moses Itauma has yet to reach a stage where he is the center of gravity around which the heavyweight division turns. That situation explains why the young sensation from Great Britain has had to adjust his return to fit star Anthony Joshua’s upcoming schedule.

After the win over Jermaine Franklin, Itauma was expected to make a quick comeback. A date was initially floated but later changed after it emerged that Joshua would be fighting on the same day. Unpacking the muddle that forced a postponement, Itauma’s promoter Frank Warren shared a few details with Ariel Helwani recently.

“He (Itauma) will probably fight now on 8 August,” the Queensberry Head said. “And that’s what will happen.”

Given how Anthony Joshua‘s comeback has been carefully planned, Warren could barely hide his disappointment.

With the fight against Tyson Fury now reportedly a “done deal,” Joshua’s team had been working on a warm-up fight before the mega matchup. The former heavyweight champion, who knocked out Jake Paul this past December, is now scheduled to face Kristian Prenga on July 25.

In that context, Warren felt Joshua’s team could have just as easily considered Moses Itauma.

“And let me tell you,” he told Helwani. “If he’s got this warm-up fight coming up against this guy, he’s fighting. I’d love to have had the warm-up fight against Moses. That would have been a great warm-up fight and a good test for him.”

That possibility, however, opened up a different angle, with the Canadian MMA journalist raising a more concerning scenario.

Moses Itauma moves to his own rhythm as heavyweight stakes rise

If Itauma were matched against Joshua and managed to win, it could have disrupted the much-hyped Fury fight, which has already faced several setbacks over time.

“It probably would have done,” Warren acknowledged. “I’m going to be honest. it would have done.”

Despite that, Warren confirmed that Itauma, who has emerged as one of British boxing’s leading heavyweight prospects and continues to draw sell-out crowds, will now fight on August 8 in London.

While Warren and sections of the fanbase may regret the missed opportunity against Anthony Joshua, the bigger picture is that Itauma is steadily closing in on world title contention.

Already the top contender in both the WBA and WBO heavyweight standings, the 21-year-old received formal recognition when WBO chief Gustavo Olivieri named him a mandatory challenger.

Fabio Wardley currently holds the belt. The champion, who shares Ben Davison’s stable with Itauma, is scheduled to make his first title defense against former titlist Daniel Dubois this weekend.

The outcome of that fight is expected to directly shape Itauma’s next step.

“In light of Moses’ recent victory against a well-rated contender in Franklin,” he told ThaBoxingVoice. “I will formally recommend that he be designated as the mandatory challenger of the heavyweight division in the WBO.”

“If they [the committee] vote, which I presume and expect that that is going to be the vote, Moses will be designated as the mandatory. Now, the question is, when will the mandatory be enforced, in other words, called?”

“That remains to be seen; it could be called immediately after the Wardley-Dubois fight or thereafter. That is a discussion that the committee has.”

With that pathway now in place, Itauma’s August 8 fight could serve as a final tune-up before he moves into a marquee matchup.

Frank Warren has already hinted in that direction, saying the youngster may be in line for a world title shot by year-end. Whether that comes against Oleksandr Usyk or the winner of Wardley-Dubois remains to be seen.