Andy Lee believes Ben Whittaker is ready for Dmitry Bivol. That is a huge call for a fighter who still has to beat Conor Wallace on Saturday. Whittaker has talent, but challenging Bivol would require a massive step up in class.
There is a difference between earning a mandatory position and being equipped to beat the champion. Wallace will test Whittaker’s progress. Bivol would demand a level of concentration and discipline that Whittaker has yet to demonstrate against elite opposition.
“He’s ready [for Bivol],” Lee told DAZN Boxing, in a quote shared by Ring Magazine.
That is a direct endorsement from the trainer who sees Whittaker in the gym. The brackets appear in Ring’s graphic, supplying the context for Lee’s short statement. His confidence adds interest to Saturday’s fight, but Whittaker now needs a performance that supports it.
Whittaker faces Wallace on October 3 in Birmingham, live on DAZN, in an IBF final eliminator. Victory would earn him mandatory status, although an immediate title opportunity is not guaranteed.
Bivol must also get past Callum Smith. Their WBO mandatory fight is targeted for December 12 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with approval for the location still pending. A Whittaker victory alone will not deliver the proposed matchup. Bivol needs to beat Smith and retain his IBF championship.
The question is how much preparation Wallace provides for Bivol. Winning on Saturday would establish Whittaker’s place among the contenders. It would leave the much harder question of how he handles a champion capable of controlling distance and piling up rounds without giving him obvious openings.
Whittaker’s reflexes and movement are useful weapons. Against Bivol, he would need to turn them into consistent scoring opportunities. Slipping punches looks good, but it achieves little on the cards if the opponent keeps landing his jab and dictating the exchanges.
Lee’s confidence deserves consideration. Whittaker still has to show that his trainer’s assessment holds up beyond the gym. Wallace is the first hurdle, and overlooking him would make all this Bivol talk look premature.