Ben Whittaker will be awarded spot on big US undercard if he wins next fight

Ben Whittaker will be heading across the pond if he beats Braian Suarez on Saturday night.

The Olympic silver medallist is set to square off against Suarez in a makeshift main event at the Liverpool Arena.

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Whittaker-Suarez was boosted to the headline slot after Callum Smith was forced out of his WBO interim light-heavyweight title fight against David Morrell with an undisclosed injury.

The last time Suarez (21-4) boxed on British shores, he dragged Lyndon Arthur into deep waters, dropping the Mancunian before eventually succumbing to a tenth-round body shot knockout loss.

The Argentine serves as a slight step up in opposition for Whittaker (10-0-1) after he flattened an overmatched Benjamin Gavazi in his first fight under the Matchroom Boxing banner last November.

Providing he comes out of the bout unscathed, his new promoter, Eddie Hearn, insists that Whittaker will have a quick turnaround on the Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs Xander Zayas undercard on June 27 in Brooklyn.

“Ben Whittaker fights Suarez, who’s a big power puncher,” said Hearn during a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show.

“This is a big moment for Ben, a big run, because if he’s successful on Saturday, he’ll go on the Boots against Xander card for his American debut at the Barclays Center.

“It would be huge for him, so he must win on Saturday.”

Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis: A big platform for Ben Whittaker

Unified WBA and WBO super welterweight champion Zayas will defend his belts against Ennis in one of the biggest US boxing bouts of the year.

Zayas (23-0) picked up the WBO belt last July with a disciplined unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Jorge Garcia.

The Puerto Rican technician would subsequently snatch the WBA belt from Abass Baraou in his next outing before seeking out the toughest fight in the division against ‘Boots’.

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Former unified WBA and IBF welterweight champion Ennis (35-0) moved up to 154lbs last October, blowing away Uisma Lima inside one round for the WBA interim belt.

He had been locked into negotiations to face Vergil Ortiz Jr in April.

However, the bout collapsed after Ortiz Jr filed a lawsuit against his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, alleging breach of contract and “interference with economic advantage” as justification to have his deal voided.

Whittaker had been lined up to feature on the Ennis-Ortiz Jr undercard, and that offer has now carried over to the Zayas fight.

According to Hearn, they have already sold 10,000 tickets for Zayas-Ennis and are on course to sell out the Barclays Center.

The event will act as a massive platform for Whittaker to introduce himself to the US audience.

Boxing schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s  boxing schedule.