That simple post has generated plenty of interaction because everyone gets to play matchmaker. It keeps Itauma in the conversation while giving fans a voice in how Queensberry should handle his return.
Quick Knockouts Hid The Weaknesses
Whoever comes next must serve a purpose. Matching Itauma with another heavyweight who collapses under his opening attack would do nothing to correct what Hrgovic exposed.
Itauma’s string of early knockouts built excitement but denied him the live rounds needed to develop punch economy. He attacked Hrgovic as though every combination had to end the fight, throwing power shots at full speed instead of using a measured jab to score, control distance, and conserve energy.
Once his legs slowed, the defensive flaws became easier to see. Itauma’s upper body grew stationary near the ropes, leaving him available for Hrgovic’s straight right hands. When pressured, he looked for heavy hooks to escape rather than tying up, turning Hrgovic, or digging to the body to interrupt the attack.
Those are skills Itauma cannot develop by knocking out another overmatched opponent in two rounds.
Vianello And Ajagba Offer Useful Tests
Guido Vianello fits the requirement. The Italian has the size and durability to make Itauma work, but he would not bring the same threat level as the division’s leading contenders.
Efe Ajagba presents a harder version of that test. His length and right hand would punish careless attacks, forcing Itauma to use his jab and remain defensively responsible after throwing combinations.
Jerry Forrest represents the traditional gatekeeper route. He is experienced, awkward, and durable enough to extend younger heavyweights without bringing the explosive offense of the division’s biggest punchers. The purpose would be to get Itauma seven to ten useful rounds, not simply restore his knockout reel.
Parker And Bakole Bring Greater Danger
Martin Bakole, Joseph Parker, Bakhodir Jalolov, and Teremoana Teremoana would answer more serious questions, but each carries considerable risk immediately after the Hrgovic loss.
Jalolov’s southpaw power and amateur experience make him particularly hazardous. Parker has the patience and ring intelligence to allow Itauma to spend energy before increasing his own work.
Bakole brings pressure, leaning his entire frame on opponents and forcing them to fight in reverse. You either learn to breathe through infighting, or you drown. He would force a physical inside fight that Itauma has not shown he can control. Teremoana Teremoana brings pure physical dread. When you face a giant who punches with evil intent, you cannot afford wasted movement. Itauma would have to stay locked in every second, forcing mental endurance alongside physical stamina.
Frank Warren faces a difficult promotional decision. Soft opposition will draw criticism on major cards, but another stoppage defeat would badly damage Itauma’s value. The Hrgovic fight has also shown other heavyweights that Itauma can be worn down after his opening attack, making contenders more willing to face him.
Itauma does not need protection from every challenge. He needs an opponent who survives the early rounds and forces him to find another way to win. DAZN has given fans the matchmaking question, but the final selection will show how much Queensberry learned from the Hrgovic defeat.
Blowing out tomato cans inside three minutes might look pretty on social media, but it does zero real work for a 21-year-old who just learned that a championship fight starts when the initial barrage fails. You cannot build a championship engine by sparring heavy bags in actual fights.
The standard promotional playbook after a young prospect gets exposed in deep water is to slam the emergency brakes and retreat straight into safe territory.
Frank Warren and Queensberry have a valuable commodity in Itauma, and after seeing him leave the ring in exhaustion against Hrgovic, their natural instinct will be damage control. That means matching him with the exact same low-danger fodder that built his early record.
They will want him scoring fast, with highlight-reel knockouts on undercards, to restore fan excitement and protect their investment. The promotional machine will spin the Hrgovic defeat as a minor bump due to youth, claiming he just needs confidence builders.
The issue with that conservative approach is that it cures nothing. If they feed him three or four sacrificial lambs who fall down in round two, Itauma learns zero pacing discipline. He will not learn how to control his output, he will not learn how to rest while still winning minutes, and he will enter his next world class fight with the exact same twenty minute gas tank that failed him in London.
Queensberry will probably take the soft route to protect the asset, but doing so only delays the inevitable when he steps back up.
