Moses Itauma is creeping ever-closer to the top of the heavyweight rankings and his promoter Frank Warren believes a fight with Oleksandr Usyk by the end of 2025 isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Chatham's Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) hasn't been in the ring yet this year after blowing out Demsey McKean in a round to set tails wagging at the end of 2024.
He's set to make his return, however, on May 24 in Glasgow on the Josh Taylor-Ekow Essuman card against Mike Balogun, whose lone defeat came against Murat Gassiev last March.
Itauma, 20, is also ranked No. 2 with the WBO and No. 3 with the WBA, and in the next couple of fights could see himself fighting for world honours after missing the opportunity to break Mike Tyson's record of becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion ever.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) is The Ring, WBC, WBA, and WBO heavyweight title holder and is currently in negotiations to fight IBF champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) next.
Warren, though, hasn't ruled out a fight between the Ukrainian and his heavyweight jewel Itauma.
"I think [Itauma] could fight for a world title this year," Warren told Sky Sports.
"Who knows? He may fight him [Usyk] this year.
"Anything's possible. We've got to see what happens but the thing is with Moses, I think within another fight or two he's quite capable of being in exactly the same company as all these guys.
"He can be up there with all of them."
It still is very likely that Usyk and Dubois will fight each other next, with a date at Wembley Stadium or in Riyadh being earmarked for their undisputed heavyweight title fight.
The pair fought in August 2023 and it was Usyk who came out on top with a ninth-round stoppage victory.