Ben Whittaker heads back to Birmingham for world title eliminator

Ben Whittaker is aiming to land a world title shot when he returns to action in the West Midlands this autumn.

The Darlaston boxing hero will headline a major show at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on October 3.

Whittaker will face Australia’s Conor Wallace in a final eliminator for the IBF light-heavyweight title, currently held by unified world champion Dmitry Bivol.

The 29-year-old will box in the Midlands for the first-time since stopping Benjamin Gavazi inside the opening round at the NEC last November.

His most recent victory came on his US debut in New York last month, when he extended his run of knockout wins to four in a row with a second round stoppage of Richard Rivera.

“I am delighted to be bringing a big night back to Birmingham again after a successful trip to the States,” said Whittaker.

“This is a proper step up on my way to becoming world champion and I’m excited to put on a special performance for you all again.”

Wallace, who was born in Northern Ireland, has competed in Australia throughout a career which has delivered 17 wins in 18 fights, 12 of them by knockout.

The 30-year-old is currently the No.2 ranked fighter with the IBF, one place ahead of Whittaker.

That gives the latter the chance to take over as the No.1 challenger to Bivol with a victory.

This being boxing, the path to an eventual title shot is unlikely to be straightforward.

Eddie Hearn, who promotes both Bivol and Whittaker, revealed this week the champion is keen on a third fight with Artur Beterbiev, from whom he took the belts last year.

Regardless, a convincing win over Wallace would put Whittaker another step along the way.