Rising British heavyweight Moses Itauma has expressed his desire to face unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, though the 21-year-old acknowledges the matchup may not materialize soon. Ranked No. 1 by both the WBA and WBO, Itauma believes established contenders like Fabio Wardley and Agit Kabayel deserve priority shots at Usyk.

Itauma faces American contender Jermaine Franklin on March 28 in Manchester, a significant step up in competition. Franklin brings extensive experience with 149 professional rounds across 26 bouts, having gone the distance with Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. This contrasts sharply with Itauma's 26 rounds from 13 unbeaten fights, where opponents rarely survive past two rounds.

The young star finds himself in a challenging position - too accomplished for domestic competition yet facing reluctance from established world-level fighters. His trainer Ben Davison believes Itauma would accept a Usyk fight immediately, calling it a 'win-win' scenario. However, Itauma remains focused on Franklin first, recognizing this as potentially the toughest test of his career to date.