Ben Whittaker is still hopeful of fighting David Benavidez one day despite the Mexican-American fighter moving up from light heavyweight to cruiserweight.
British star Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) can put himself within touching distance of a world title shot at 175 pounds on Saturday, taking on Conor Wallace in an IBF title eliminator in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the most talked-about fighters in the sport, with four-straight stoppages inside two rounds. He made his mark on his U.S. debut in his last fight, beating Richard Rivera with a Round 2 knockout.
Whittaker has also been linked with a potential future fight against Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), one of boxing's biggest stars and a three-division world champion, after his father, Jose Benavidez Sr., called for the fight last year.
Whittaker's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said a Benavidez clash was too early for Whittaker. While Whittaker is older, Benavidez has far more experience in the professional ranks, with 19 more fights on his résumé.
And with Benavidez, ESPN's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter, moving up to cruiserweight, the bout seems a way off, but Whittaker is still hopeful they can meet in the future.
"Never say never," Whittaker told reporters this week.
"You seen the size of my dad, I'll be a heavyweight soon as well, you know what I mean? So it's just part of the game. He's a great fighter. For [Jose Benavidez Sr.] to message me and to be mentioned in interviews, of course, it's a privilege, but at the end of the day, I'm my own person.
"For me, I'm in my own lane, but I would like that fight down the road. So after this it's Burger King baby!"
Whittaker said he would like to "dominate" light heavyweight before moving up in weight.
"I want to make sure I dominate at my weight first," he said.
"Light heavyweight is my weight. I did what I did at the amateurs at light heavyweight. I've stayed at light heavyweight as a pro. I want to do everything I possibly can here and then I would like to move up. I think it'd be good to go through the weights."
