Moses Itauma exceeded expectations earlier this month when he stopped Dillian Whyte in under two minutes of the opening round. The emphatic knockout instantly sparked speculation about the young heavyweight’s next move. Names have been flying around ever since, with some even calling for a showdown against undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk – a matchup that has already gained the backing of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.

Yet, Moses Itauma – once touted as the fighter who could break Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion, but who fell short – appears to have multiple paths ahead. Among them is a potential cross-promotional bout. According to insider Rick Glasser, Frank Warren may be working behind the scenes to align Itauma with another veteran promoter’s fighter. That veteran? None other than Bob Arum.

“Promoter [Frank Warren] may look to do Moses Itauma vs Jared Anderson next. Makes perfect sense, as Anderson’s Promoter Bob Arum has a great relationship with Frank,” Glasser wrote on X yesterday. Jared Anderson suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Martin Bakole last year in Los Angeles. Although he has managed to bounce back with a win over Marios Kollias in February, he would be an underdog if the Itauma fight goes through. 

Regardless, the question is, why does Bob Arum’s Top Rank need help? “Top Rank has no media platform deal till next year, a lot of fighters to keep busy, & Top Rank needs cash flow to pay that massive & extremely bloated monthly overhead,” Glasser added. Top Rank’s agreement with ESPN came to an end earlier this year, ending their eight-year partnership. Nonetheless, Glasser isn’t confident that Anderson will be willing to accept the challenge against Itauma. 

“Let’s see if Anderson actually takes the fight, as he’s not exactly oozing with confidence these days… It’ll be the Boxing end of Jared Anderson. Itauma gets Anderson out of there early. It’s only a matter of a knockout, or does Anderson quit?” Glasser concluded. Just over a week ago, Glasser claimed Top Rank had secured a new broadcast deal after losing ESPN. “Top Rank has landed a deal with premium cable channel Starz,” he wrote on X. 

“11 Boxing shows a year, 1 million per show, & Top Rank will retain the foreign rights. I don’t know yet how many years it’s for,” he added. Coming back to Itauma, though, even if Anderson isn’t ready, Queensberry Promotions seems to have other plans for Itauma. 

Moses Itauma could face Filip Hrgovic

Moses Itauma’s next step could see him share the ring with Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic, according to his manager Francis Warren. Despite calls for Itauma to face other opponents in the heavyweight division, Warren has singled out Hrgovic as the more realistic option for Itauma’s December return. 

“I like the [Filip] Hrgovic fight, we will just have to see how his cut heals up,” he told Boxing News. “If it is a fight that people may not see as a career-defining fight, then that is on us to decide on what step we take.” Hrgovic is ranked No. 2 by the WBO, just behind Itauma, making the clash a potential eliminator for Joseph Parker’s interim title.

It appears a win over Dillian Whyte has opened up a lot of doors for Moses Itauma. However, which one he chooses to enter is yet to be seen. As far as the Jared Anderson fight is concerned, only time will tell whether Glasser is right. Who do you think Itauma should fight next?