Eddie Hearn insists Ben Whittaker needs one more outing before stepping in with Dmitry Bivol or Callum Smith. Whittaker’s rough final stretch against Conor Wallace made that obvious. Still, jumping in with the winner of Joshua Buatsi versus Willy Hutchinson might jeopardize the exact world title shot Hearn wants to protect.
Buatsi and Hutchinson bring power, grit, and the durability to force Whittaker into deep waters. They possess the exact tools to test the stamina and tactical focus he must prove before entering the championship picture.
“If he would have looked sensational tonight and destroyed Conor Wallace, I think we would have been in a position to say, ‘Let’s go into Bivol or Callum Smith,'” Hearn admitted at the post-fight press conference. “For me, no, he needs another fight. And now when I look at it, I think that’s the Buatsi-Hutchinson winner, that’s Yarde, or it’s Conor Wallace.”
Hearn pointed out that Whittaker was clinging on during the twelfth round largely because his gas tank emptied. Building an early lead gave him the scorecards, but showboating burned up reserves he desperately needed late. Whittaker later confessed he chased crowd reactions instead of listening to trainer Andy Lee. Against elite pressure, excessive dancing becomes an expensive luxury. Buatsi or Hutchinson will turn up the heat long before round twelve.
Running it back with Wallace offers familiar territory, yet Wallace now knows Whittaker can be cracked late. He would surely press earlier instead of letting Whittaker find a rhythm.
Hearn is eyeing February or March for a Birmingham return. Stacking up another win helps, but Whittaker must showcase disciplined pacing, tighter defense, and a composed finish. Slowing the path to Bivol or Smith gives him room to fix those flaws. Facing the Buatsi-Hutchinson victor right now might expose them instead.
