Frank Warren is offering Ben Whittaker a fight with either Joshua Buatsi or Willy Hutchinson, saying he would happily put the unbeaten light heavyweight in with the winner or the loser of their upcoming bout.
Eddie Hearn has already mentioned the winner as a possible opponent before Whittaker challenges Dmitry Bivol. Warren’s offer goes further. He believes either man would provide a serious test, regardless of how their fight ends.
“For me, he’s got a long way to go. I’ve got guys over here he can fight if he wants to fight,” Warren told talkSPORT.
Turning his attention directly toward the Buatsi vs Hutchinson pairing, Warren made his stance clear: “The winner, I have no problem with the winner or the loser fighting him.”
Offering the loser, too, shows how Warren rates Whittaker. He believes either Buatsi or Hutchinson would give him a hard fight, even coming off a defeat.
Whittaker locked down the IBF mandatory slot with his October 3 win over Conor Wallace, yet his ragged finish exposed glaring doubts about his readiness for Bivol. Exhaustion stripped away his legs down the stretch, forcing him into survival mode as Wallace pushed forward.
The theatrical showmanship that looked slick against lesser fighters disappeared once the pressure intensified. Wallace wore Whittaker down, leaving him exhausted and holding on to get through the final rounds. Against Buatsi or Hutchinson, he would need enough stamina to keep throwing punches and defending himself when the fight gets hard.
Buatsi would bring pressure and heavy punches, testing whether Whittaker can hold his technique together when he cannot dictate the pace. Hutchinson would present a different challenge with his speed and boxing ability. Either would be a considerable step up.
“Ben’s a nice guy. Good luck to him. But you’ve got to have some substance, and the substance at the end of the day just isn’t there,” Warren said.
Hearn also concedes Whittaker requires another outing before facing Bivol, keeping the Buatsi vs Hutchinson victor in play. Both promoters see the need for a sterner test, even though Warren shows far less belief in Whittaker’s actual ceiling.
Warren goes further by offering the loser, too. That’s the sharper part of his challenge: in his view, either man would test Whittaker, regardless of the result. Beating one of them would give Whittaker stronger evidence that he’s ready for Bivol.
