While the 21-year-old contender from Kent has been gaining experience and establishing himself as the man most likely to lead the division into an exciting new era, Oleksandr Usyk has firmly entrenched himself as the best fighter of this generation.

The brilliant Ukrainian has enjoyed two spells as the undisputed champion during a remarkable campaign. His decision to vacate his collection of title belts means, though, that Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) won’t have the opportunity to take the torch from the champion.

Instead, Itauma, ranked No. 6 among The Ring’s contenders, will need to earn recognition as the best heavyweight on the planet by working his way through a dangerous, ambitious group of contenders and champions.

His mission starts August 29, when he fights Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) at London’s O2 Arena for the vacant IBF title.

Undisputed runs are rarely smooth and it is all but impossible to plot a route to the very top. But, over the next 18 months, Itauma can establish himself as the heavyweight to beat.

Of course, similar pathways exist for Hrgovic, WBO champ Daniel Dubois, WBC titleholder Agit Kabayel, WBA belt-holder Murat Gassiev and every other heavyweight with ambitions of succeeding Usyk as the face of the sport. This exercise relates to Itauma’s potential path to ruling the division.

The first task on Itauma’s ‘To Do’ list, and one he certainly can’t afford to look past, is his upcoming IBF title fight with Hrgovic.

Itauma is a 7-1 favorite to beat Hrgovic, according to DraftKings. On paper, at least, the confident Croatian seems certain to provide him with by far his stiffest test to date.

Hrgovic was a highly accomplished amateur, but it is his mentality that makes him such an interesting challenge. He will be the first of Itauma’s opponents to enter a fight with him with an unshakeable belief that he will win.

Itauma has presented a cool, detached figure to this point. He does seem to have been irritated, however, by Hrgovic’s repeated claim that he is just “a kid.”

And although he holds the advantages in speed, variety and one-punch power, he will have to guard against getting carried away and allowing Hrgovic’s undoubted edge in experience – and the excitement of his first world title fight – to take a collective toll.

Every fighter dreams of winning a belt by ripping it away from a champion. Given the situation he finds himself in, beating a fighter of Hrgovic’s caliber and stature to win a world title is the next best thing.

Should Itauma beat Hrgovic, he must make a mandatory defense of his title against Sanchez. The Cuban is ranked at No. 1 in the IBF rankings, but he accepted a seven-figure step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the vacant belt.

Sanchez’s name may not make too many waves with casual fans, but he is deserving of his opportunity and would provide Itauma with a new set of problems.

A fighter with Itauma’s skillset has the potential to end any fight in the blink of an eye. Still, Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) is a smart, experienced fighter, and one of the most defensively adept and aware fighters in the heavyweight division.

Rather than setting a pace and forcing an overwhelmed opponent to stay with him for as long as they can, Itauma may have to think about his attacks and navigate some long, potentially frustrating rounds.

The cold, wet British weather will force Itauma to keep his show indoors. But a Christmastime defense against Sanchez would give Itauma the chance to establish himself as a world champion and clear his diary ahead of a major 2027.

If the first two steps of Itauma’s ascent are already set in stone, the third would allow matchmakers and promoters to think outside the box.

In June 2019, Anthony Joshua attempted to break America, but he was stopped in the seventh round by late replacement Andy Ruiz in their fight for Joshua’s IBF, WBA and WBO belts before a stunned sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Joshua beat Ruiz on points in their immediate rematch six months later, but the memories of that shocking night in New York lingered on.

Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t touched those heights since, but he is about to begin yet another assault on the heavyweight division. The 36-year-old will kickstart his new promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing by fighting Poland’s Damian Knyba in main event DAZN will stream September 4 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

At his best, Ruiz is a fast-handed combination puncher who would be willing to trade with the lightning-quick Itauma. That approach could get him into trouble, though it would make for an exciting clash of styles.

There would undoubtedly be calls for Itauma to start the year with a unification fight against one of his rival champions. Being that it is inevitable that he will eventually cross the Atlantic, the sheer number of story lines surrounding a fight with Ruiz would capture attention and allow Itauma to set his own narrative.

Providing he gets past Knyba (17-1, 11 KOs), Ruiz may need another win to legitimize himself as a challenger. If not, and Itauma could retrace Joshua’s footsteps and succeed where he stumbled in his first fight of 2027, it would serve as an ideal introduction to the American market.

An explosive all-British clash with Dubois, if the Londoner still owns the WBO belt by this time, would fill any stadium in Britain and set the winner on the path to the undisputed title.

There is a lot of conjecture in assuming both fighters will reach this point. We have plotted Itauma’s route, but Dubois will need to negotiate a rematch with Fabio Wardley and would then need to keep winning before what would be an enormous fight.

Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) is a destructive puncher with an accurate, thumping jab. He is also battle hardened and experienced after spending years enjoying highs and suffering lows at the very highest level.

Fittingly given the stakes and rewards, this fight would be Itauma’s most dangerous assignment to date. He should still arrive at his first major stadium show perfectly prepared for the challenge.

Defeating Dubois would enable Itauma to enter 2028 as a unified champion and perfectly positioned for an assault on his rival champions.