That potential was on display this past weekend as the 21-year-old dismantled the normally durable Jermaine Franklin in five violent rounds.

By and large, Itauma is being praised for his performance. But Filip Hrgovic (19-1, 14 KOs) refuses to give him credit for beating a man who clearly wasn’t on his level.

“The reality is that he wasn’t in there with a great fighter,” Hrgovic said on Inside The Ring.

“He never received a real punch. He was never dropped. He’s still not tested. He needs a good test. We need to see if he is a real warrior or not. He definitely has all the ability. He has technique, he has IQ, he’s fast. He’s a great fighter but we’ll see if he’s a real warrior.”

Immediately after pleasing the jam-packed crowd at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) grabbed the microphone during the post-fight press conference and uttered Hrgovic’s name.

The Ring’s No. 4-ranked heavyweight already has a date lined up with David Allen on May 16 at Doncaster's Eco-Power Stadium. What Hrgovic won’t do is take his eyes off the prize. But the 33-year-old recently signed a long-term deal with Queensberry, the same promotional company as Itauma.

If everything goes according to plan and he beats Allen, he expects to be matched up with Itauma soon after.

“He’s one of the guys in my contract for the next fight,” Hrgovic revealed. “There’s a big possibility that I fight him next after Dave Allen. I would like to fight him and think I can beat him. A win against him would be awesome for my career, I'm in for that fight."

For the most part, Itauma’s promise has many believing he’s the future of the heavyweight division. Hrgovic, who’s coming off a lopsided points win against David Adeleye last August, is over a decade older than his rival.

“I still didn’t show my best ability, even though I’m 33,” Hrgovic continued. “I think if I’m healthy and in great shape, I can beat all of these guys and believe I can be a champion.”