Tony Bellew advises Ben Whittaker ahead of next bout and reveals the major fight he would like for Olympic star

Tony Bellew believes Ben Whittaker  must keep landing impressive stoppages on his way to world title contention as the light-heavyweight star prepares for his next fight. 

'The Surgeon' headlines Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena on Saturday night against the hard-hitting Braian Suarez  after replacing the injured Callum Smith at the top of the bill.

Victory against the durable Argentine can elevate him up the rankings towards big domestic fights against the likes of Willy Hutchinson, Anthony Yarde, and Joshua Buatsi. 

Whittaker faced criticism over a potential ceiling in the sport in late 2024 after a draw against Liam Cameron where the star tumbled over the ropes and sustained an injury. 

The Tokyo 2020 veteran faced intense scrutiny afterwards, but proved the doubters wrong in a subsequent second meeting by destroying the Yorkshireman in two rounds. 

After signing with Eddie Hearn, Whittaker stopped Benjamin Gavazi in the opening session at the backend of 2025, and he heads into the Suarez fight with some major momentum behind him. 

Bellew, who campaigned at light-heavyweight before winning a world title at cruiserweight, thinks Whittaker has what it takes be a success in boxing, but he must keep people talking about him as he goes about his business. 

“Whittaker is in a good place now after what happened with Cameron and nobody can say anything about him based on the way he’s looked in his last couple of fights,” said Bellew when speaking to DAZN News . 

“People know about Whittaker from the Olympics and because of his style, and when people are interested then you have to keep them interested and give them what they want. He has to keep going in there and stopping people and he can do that against Suarez. 

“He’s on track for big fights and he’ll need bringing along the right way, but Whittaker against Willy Hutchinson is a fight I like, and I’d love to see that happen sometime this year or early next.”

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