Moses Itauma must fight the biggest-selling stars right now irrespective of their age to ensure his popularity continues to rise.That is the opinion of former world champion Paulie Malignaggi who opened up on the meteoric growth of 21-year-old heavyweight sensation Itauma.Itauma is on the cusp of world glory, and is doing wonders for his reputation with every punch he throwsGettyThe British heavyweight has faced comparisons to Mike Tyson and is blazing a one-way trail to the top of the division.His biggest test to date yet will come against Filip Hrgovic later this month, against whom he will challenge for the IBF world title in London.Victory will see him become the second youngest ever king of the division behind Tyson, and cement his name in the history books.But even if he tastes victory, Itauma may not yet have the commercial selling power of the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury who face off later in the year.Many of the top box office names are coming to the end of their careers including Oleksandr Usyk.But Malignaggi believes Itauma must attempt to lure the big names into huge showdowns before they retire.He told talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver: “I think Itauma has the potential to be the future of the sport and the future of the division.“But without being able to fight these big names, it’s going to slow down his rise to popularity.“He’ll have a rise to stardom and become a champion, but he has to try and get the old generation of fighters in the ring with him.”Itauma’s big role in current heavyweight generationMalignaggi went on to address the next crop and what role Itauma plays in it.And he believes that there is some big stars in the making, but the two generations must cross paths to ensure the sport is in a good place.“I think the new generation can be a lot of fun,” he continued.“I don’t like where the old generation moves on by themselves and just fights each other.“They need to be fighting each other and there needs to be a changing of the guard between the two generations.“They all start fighting each other and retire together, and the new guys have less notoriety yet are the best fighters in the world.”Itauma is going to face a challenge to lure the big names into the ring, given they are all expected to retire in the next few years.Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.Usyk has regularly suggested he wouldn’t face Itauma and is plotting his own final outing in the ring.Joshua himself has opened the door to a clash with Itauma.But the young star himself told talkSPORT he believes it would be disrespectful to call out AJ or Fury.