Ben Whittaker eyeing move to cruiserweight to take on David Benavidez

David Benavidez may have left the light-heavyweight division, but he has not left Ben Whittaker's sights.

Whittaker returns this Saturday at Birmingham, England’s BP Pulse LIVE in a final eliminator for the IBF light-heavyweight title against Ireland’s Conor Wallace. Victory would secure the 12-0-1 (9 KOs) Whittaker a shot at the IBF strap currently owned by unified champion Dmitry Bivol. Whittaker has swept through the overmatched Benjamin Gavazzi, Braian Suarez and Richard Rivera in a combined four rounds in his last three bouts, leading to calls for him to take on stiffer opposition.

Those calls have been answered with the test of the 17-1 (12 KOs) Wallace, and a win would mean the stabilizers are well and truly off. For Whittaker this has come at the perfect time, with some of the division’s leading names on their way out he believes it is the perfect moment for him to make his mark.

“It's a new age for the light-heavyweights,” said Whittaker. “Dmitry Bivol’s probably got one, two fights left. Artur Beterbiev has probably got one fight, two fights left. David Benavidez is getting bigger and bigger, you know what I mean, so he’s probably gonna stay a cruiserweight or move up. So the doors are opening, and the door opens when I win Saturday. It’s a world title eliminator, it gets me number one and it gets me in that position where I’ll be the new kid on the block.”

Whittaker and Benavidez have both shown their willingness to face each other in the past, with Benavidez’s father and trainer Jose Benavidez Snr even contacting Whittaker about the fight. Although Benavidez is still currently the holder of the WBC 175lbs title he recently confirmed that he will be staying at cruiserweight where he holds the WBA and WBO belts.

That would lead some to think the chances of seeing Whittaker against Benavidez are slim.

“Never say never, you should see the size of my dad, I'll be a heavyweight soon as well,” Whittaker joked. “It's just part of the game, he's a great fighter. For his dad [Jose Benavidez Snr] to message me and to be mentioned in interviews, of course it's a privilege, but at the end of the day, I'm my own person. I'm in my own lane but I would like that fight down the road. So after this it's Burger King baby!”

So, we could see Whittaker make a jump up to cruiserweight in the future?

“Maybe so, I want to make sure I dominate at my weight first,” he said. “Light-heavyweight is my weight. I did what I did at the amateurs at light-heavyweight. I've stayed at light-heavyweight as a pro. I want to do everything I possibly can here and then I would like to move up. I think it'd be good to go through the weights.”

Whittaker spoke to BoxingScene in November about how he would deal with the intense pressure that the 32-0 (26 KOs) Benavidez brings – pressure that no opponent has yet found an answer to.

“Yeah I'd say that's my bread and butter if I'm honest,” said Whittaker. “A lot of people see me; tall, lanky, but I've fought that sort of style since I was seven years old. That is the style that I do like, of course it's relentless, of course it's intense, but it's kind of the style that I like.”