Ben Whittaker returns to the ring on Saturday to take on Braian Suarez in a non-title fight in the light-heavyweight division.
Whittaker, 28, claimed the WBC Silver light-heavyweight title in his last outing, knocking out Benjamin Gavazi in the first round back in November last year.
Now, he faces Suarez at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in his 12th professional bout.
Whittaker, the Wolverhampton-born fighter, has 10 wins in his professional career so far, with just one draw to his name. That came against Liam Cameron back in 2024, but he exacted his revenge on the former Commonwealth champion with a brutal TKO victory in their rematch six months later.
Signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Whittaker has been eleveated to the main event on Merseyside after Callum Smith withdrew from his WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title defence against David Morrell.
Smith was forced to pull out with injury, but Matchroom have not announed whether his fight with Morrell will be rescheduled.
Whittaker vs Suarez fight date and venue
Whittaker vs Suarez takes place on Saturday April 18, 2026 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.
Whittaker vs Suarez fight time and ring walks
Saturday night’s main card is due to begin at 5pm BST, which is 12pm ET and 9am PT in the United States.
Whittaker and Suarez are set to make their way to the ring for 9.20pm.
How to watch Whittaker vs Suarez
TV channel and live stream: Whittaker vs Suarez will be broadcast on DAZN in the UK. An annual subscription costs £119.99 for a year, while a monthly pass costs £25.99.
Whittaker vs Suarez undercard
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez, 10 rounds, light heavyweightLeo Atang vs Viktor Chvarkou, 6 rounds, heavyweightMolly McCann vs Ashleigh Johnson, 8 rounds, women's junior featherweightPeter McGrail vs Ckari Cani Mansilla, 10 rounds, junior featherweightJoe McGrail vs Aaron Hayden, 10 rounds, junior featherweight
Whittaker vs Suarez prediction
Whittaker is the undefeated fighter here and comes into this bout with home advantage - admittedly not his own city.
Suarez, meanwhile, is an experienced professional, boasting a 21-4 record with 20 knockout victories.
His recent form, however, is patchy.
He defeated Sergio Santos Dantas in an all-Argentine bout in his most recent outing in Buenos Aires.
His three previous fights outside of Argentina, however, have all ended in losses.
His most recent came in Russia against Vasily Voytsekhovsky, and before that it was Sharabutdin Ataev.
He has fought once in Britain, but it did not go well for him. He faced Lyndon Arthur in Bolton for the IBO light heavyweight title, but was counted out after being knocked down by a vicious left hook to the body.
Suarez had already missed weight and could not win the title regardless.
With that in mind, and considering Whittaker’s brutal knockout of Gavazi in November, you would expect the Englishman to produce a good performance.
Whittaker to win by stoppage.
Whittaker vs Suarez weigh-in results
On Friday, Whittaker weighed in at a career-heaviest 182lbs 14oz, while Suarez tipped the scales at 180lbs.
Whittaker vs Suarez latest odds
Whittaker to win on points or by decision: 9/2
Whittaker to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 2/9
Suarez to win on points or by decision: 30/1
Suarez to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 11/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
