After an impressive run last year, Moses Itauma, who made his professional debut two years ago, once again reaffirmed why he leads heavyweight boxing’s new generation. On the Josh Taylor-Ekow Essuman card, the Slovakia-born Itauma knocked out Michael Balogun in the second round. The match at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro follows the first-round knockout of Demsey McKean at Usyk-Fury 2 last December.

The win helped him retain his WBO Intercontinental and WBA International belts. However, additional news awaited Itauma and his team. For sure, it must have elated the lot. With Oleksandr Usyk as the champion and Joseph Parker, the interim title holder, the WBO decided to make Itauma its number one ranked contender. But no sooner did the reports appear than several fans took to their keypads to pen their thoughts. The move likely peeved certain quarters, some of whom even drew a comparison with the UFC.

Moses Itauma: Straight to the top

The Ring Magazine’s Instagram post read, “Moses Itauma is now the WBO’s #1 ranked heavyweight contender, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has revealed. Joseph Parker owns the WBO ‘interim’ belt and so will be their next mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk.” Till recently, the Australian heavyweight, Justis Huni, who defended his WBO global title early in January this year, stood in first place. Though he doesn’t hold a rank in the WBC top 15, Itauma currently stands third and seventh in the WBA and IBF’s top contention, respectively.

For the record, yes, in the UFC, becoming #1 typically requires beating the current champion. In boxing, it’s possible to become a titleholder (even a world champion) without facing the top dog. However, due to fragmented belts and complex promotional structures, the landscape calls for a more nuanced look.

Let’s not forget: The UFC has one champion per weight class, and titles aren’t split across multiple organizations. Now, let’s take a look at what some fans had to say about Itauma’s rise in the rankings.

What’s the thinking here?

The update seemingly confused this fan, who said, “He can’t be #1 when Joseph Parker has the WBO interim belt. 🤔” Now, strictly speaking, it’s possible to have a number one ranked contender. With Dmitry Bivol as the champion and Callum Smith having the interim title, the light heavyweight division represents a similar arrangement.

For the next, Moses Itauma has yet to cut across the prospect stage. They said, “Itauma is a good prospect, but that’s it. He’s a PROSPECT shouldn’t even be in the top 15 yet…” Once again, after having won the WBO intercontinental title last year and then adding the WBA international to his kitty, it’s only justified that Itauma was placed in the top 15 rankings.

This user questioned the whole system. “Tells you everything about Boxing. We need UFC-style rankings NOW; to be Number 1 you have to BEAT number 1,” they remarked. Well, Manny Pacquiao’s elevation as a 5th-ranked contender after four years of retirement raised quite a few eyebrows. But then, by and large, most top contenders do get a shot at a title challenge.

It didn’t take much time before a few dug up past follies. This fan mentioned, “WBO has shit rankings; they had a dead guy ranked once. This shit is ridiculous. Itauma has done nothing to be WBO #1.” They were obviously talking about the incident when WBO had erroneously ranked Darrin Morris in 2001, though the fighter had already passed away in October of the previous year.

Then, to some, Itauma has yet to face a real test. “Bro is not ready. Big men like Dubois would make him a highlight,” said this fan. Now that’s a tall order. Facing someone like Daniel Dubois, who demolished Anthony Joshua last September, could be a dream come true for young Itauma. But the question remains: is it ready to face a challenge like that? Perhaps he could start with facing the likes of Fabio Wardley, Frazer Clarke, or, for that matter, Agit Kabayel.

It’s yet another incident where a sanctioning body’s decision has come under a scanner.

For sure they must have their justification to initiate a move like this. Perhaps what could help to allay the concerns and doubts is a clear statement that explains the basis for ranking a contender ahead of the rest.

What’s your take on the WBO’s decision? Do you think Moses Itauma deserves the #1 rank?