The 29-year-old is on track for world honours.
In his US debut, Ben Whittaker produced a statement performance, scoring two knockdowns en route to a second-round stoppage of Richard Rivera.
The British talent proved far too sharp and elusive for Rivera, before a lightning-quick left hand forced the referee to step in and bring the contest to an abrupt end.
Whittaker has made quite a reputation in the sport as a flashy fighter, and his latest knockout has edged him closer to challenging for a world title.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed exactly how he sees Whittaker’s path to a title unfolding.
He said: “The next fight will be another step up like tonight was.
“To be honest, we have to start positioning ourselves for a world title.
“So we need a big domestic name or a fight that’s going to get him mandatory, a final eliminator.
“At the end of the day, you can’t go from Rivera to Bivol, Benavidez and [Artur] Beterbiev.
“There are two or three more in between Rivera and those guys.
“We have to go through the levels and understand that [Whittaker’s] still relatively inexperienced in the professional code.
“That was his first completed round tonight in a year and three fights.
“He’s still the highest-paid fighter per round on the planet, which is good!
“I don’t think it would be wise to go from Rivera to Beterbiev and those kinds of guys; you’ve got to fight through the levels, and he’s, as you’ve seen, demolishing these levels.”
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