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Ben Whittaker has long been earmarked as a future world champion.
The light-heavyweight dazzled at the Tokyo Olympic Games when he won a silver medal. He is unbeaten as a professional fighter.
Earlier this year he avenged his contentious 2024 draw with Liam Cameron and looks to continue his advance when he boxes Benjamin Gavazi in Birmingham on Saturday.
“The showmanship, the profile, the noise is brilliant but my motivation is to see him become world champion,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports.
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Watch a ringside angle of Whittaker’s controversial celebrations after beating Liam Cameron
The route however to a world championship at light-heavyweight is demanding. The outstanding Dmitry Bivol, who went undisputed when he won his rematch with Artur Beterbiev, holds the WBA, WBO and IBF championships.
WBC titlist David Benavidez recently handed another British light-heavyweight, Anthony Yarde a punishing stoppage loss.
At the start of this year Callum Smith overcame Joshua Buatsi in a thrilling 12-round battle to win the WBO Interim title. That has positioned the Liverpudlian for his own eventual world title shot.
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Whittaker stopped Cameron in the second round of their highly-anticipated rematch
“The progress and the route has got to be perfect,” Hearn said. “There’s the domestic guys, I’m talking Craig Richards, Dan Azeez, Willie Hutchinson.
“Then you’ve got the level above which is Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde, Buatsi or Zach Parker. Then you’ve got Bivol, Beterbiev and Benavidez, which is a whole other ball game.”
It means that Whittaker must keep winning and even then could have a wait on his hands.
“He needs another four or five fights [before a world title]. Can he compete against those guys now? Yeah. Can he beat them? That’s a tough challenge,” the promoter said.
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A look back at the first fight between Whittaker and Cameron which was brought to a premature end as the pair dramatically fell through the ring ropes
That would make a world title fight more likely for 2027 than next year.
“When you have someone like Ben Whittaker we don’t want to throw in an opportunity to challenge Benavidez or Bivol ill-equipped, ill-equipped in terms of experience. We’ve got to be ready,” Hearn said.
“It’s a brilliant division but one I think he can win a world title in.”
