Ben Whittaker could be on the verge of fighting for world honours after winning his final eliminator against Conor Wallace last month.

The pair collided for a chance to become the IBF’s mandatory challenger, with the winner being positioned for a shot at unified king Dmitry Bivol.

And despite dominating the majority of their contest, Whittaker was made to survive a late scare when, on at least two occasions, Wallace could have been credited with a knockdown.

In the end, the scorecards made such things redundant but, even so, many felt Whittaker showed signs of vulnerability that would be more greatly exposed by Bivol, who will defend his belts against Callum Smith on December 12.

After that, there is a good chance that Whittaker gets called as the IBF’s mandatory challenger but, alternatively, the 29-year-old could pursue a world title shot against newly-crowned WBC champion Willy Hutchinson.

‘The Hutch Train’ claimed his previously vacant belt last Saturday, unanimously outpointing Joshua Buatsi after losing their first encounter by split decision in 2024.

Hutchinson then went face-to-face with Anthony Yarde, expressing an interest in their potential clash, while equally telling talkSPORT that he would gladly defend his title against Whittaker.

“Where’s Quittaker at? He can get it as well. Massive fight!”

The ‘Quittaker’ jibe relates to Wolverhampton man’s technical draw with Liam Cameron in 2024, when both fighters went over the top rope and Whittaker left the arena in a wheelchair.

Some then suggested that Whittaker feigned his injury but, to his credit, ‘The Surgeon’ managed to score an emphatic second-round finish in their immediate rematch.