Moses Itauma was originally set to return on July 25 in London, however the announcement of Anthony Joshua’s ‘warm-up’ fight against Kristian Prenga on the same date in Saudi Arabia has forced a change.

Itauma was last out in March when he became the first man to stop American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin. It was the 14th win, and 12th knockout, of the young Brit’s campaign so far, as his team steadily builds up the levels in preparation for an inevitable world title run.

The Franklin fight was postponed from January due to Itauma suffering a bicep tear in training camp. Had it gone ahead as planned, he could have guaranteed three fights in 2026. That is still possible, however he has now been forced to move from July to August due to a date clash with former unified champion Joshua, who is fighting this summer with a view to then announcing his long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury for the end of the year.

Speaking on the Ariel Helwani show, promoter Frank Warren confirmed that his young charge will now move to August 8, and that the show will still be at London’s O2 Arena. Itauma will headline, and there are talks ongoing with potential opponents but nothing is signed yet.

Itauma is ranked number one with both the WBA and WBO, five with the IBF and two with the WBC. He has been called out by WBA Regular champion Murat Gassiev, which could be a significant bout if Super champ Oleksandr Usyk soon vacates the belt.

The 21-year-old may soon be called as mandatory challenger for the WBO belt, as per president Gustavo Olivieri, currently held by Fabio Wardley. Wardley defends his title against Daniel Dubois this weekend in Manchester. If he retains, it is unlikely his next defence will be against Itauma, as both men share the same trainer in Ben Davison. Should Dubois win to become a two-time champion, that fight sells itself.

Outside of the immediate title picture, Itauma’s team will also be happy with a top contender who can present a different style or level of danger as he continues to develop.

The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini story is the loudest but also the quietest story in the NFL, depending on where one looks and who one talks to. Over the past couple of weeks, the style of coverage has been the biggest story beside the story, as fans and pundits have begun to ask questions about why the story isn’t as public as it is.

In a Sunday post on X, NFL expert Tony Farmer floated a theory that Russini could do a lot more damage than running too many stories about her would initially indicate. Farmer didn’t offer any evidence in the video clip, but compared the potential situation to the Epstein files.

“I compare it to the Epstien Files,” Farmer said. “When people started looking for stuff about Epstein, other people’s names were dragged into it. All of a sudden, Bill Gates has gotta answer questions.

“Maybe, that’s some of the reason we’re seeing ESPN, that’s 10% owned by the NFL, not wanting to talk about this story, because when we start looking into Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini, other people might get pulled into this situation.”

The Epstein files seemed to reach far beyond what anyone expected initially. If Russini has as much dirt as a reporter who spent years behind the curtain, upsetting her might be the last thing some in the media world may want.

Read More: Dianna Russini urged to get “notorious” amid Mike Vrabel scandal as radio host floats controversial comeback strategy for NFL insider

Read More: “The offer holds forever”: Dianna Russini gets new job offer from ex-ESPN host after resigning from The Athletic over Mike Vrabel scandal

NFL analyst doubles down on Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini coverage

Tony Farmer didn’t leave his thoughts on the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini only in video form. The analyst made a text-only post on Sunday, the same day as the video, expanding on his thoughts about the situation with Drake Maye’s coach and Dianna Russini.

“Vrabel’s conflict was the fact that she was one of 50 COTY voters,” he posted. “Russini’s conflict is the fact that he is her journalistic source. ESPN’s conflict is its 10% owned by the NFL and Russini is their former employee. Specific journalists (Zolak, etc.) conflicts = friendship with Russini and Vrabel.

“The NFL’s conflict is that this situation can harm its credibility.”

The comments indicate that Farmer will continue to speak on the issue until the story is concluded. Considering the size, scope and potential of the story, don’t expect radio silence any time soon.

New England Patriots fans wait to learn what’s next for Russini, if and when she speaks publicly about what happened and where she will be hired next. Many believe her career has another act, but the question is where and how her next chapter will begin.

What’s next for Russini?