Ben Whittaker enters the light-heavyweight title picture with his US debut against Richard Rivera in New York, setting up potential domestic clashes. The unbeaten British contender told Sky Sports he feels close to a Joshua Buatsi fight, with both ranked in the WBC's top three positions.

Promoter Eddie Hearn mapped out Whittaker's trajectory, suggesting three more fights before challenging elite champions like Dmitry Bivol or David Benavidez. While Benavidez recently moved to cruiserweight, Whittaker acknowledged Bivol currently holds the most belts at 175 pounds. Hearn plans for Whittaker to headline in October against a prominent domestic opponent.

Whittaker dismissed Zak Chelli's recent callout, pointing to his superior amateur credentials including Commonwealth Games selection and Olympic participation over his rival. The fighter emphasized that results speak louder than social media challenges.

Meanwhile, Hearn positioned Jaron Ennis to pursue undisputed status at super-welterweight before eventually moving up to middleweight and super-middleweight divisions. A dominant win over Xander Zayas could line up unification bouts with Josh Kelly or Sebastian Fundora.