Ben Whittaker, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist from just down the road in West Bromwich, has been tipped as capable of filling the void that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will leave once they retire in the not-too-distant future.

At 29, Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) is approaching his prime years and on Saturday fights for the fourth time since leaving Boxxer to join Matchroom.

Since the switch, "The Surgeon" has been clinical, with his first three opponents vanquished within four minutes or less. In Northern Ireland-born Australian Conor Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs), however, he faces someone ranked above him for the first time.

The IBF has Wallace at No. 2with Whittaker, The Ring’s No. 10 light heavyweight, just behind him in third. With the No. 1 spot vacant, the pair will therefore meet in a final eliminator for the title held by Ring and unified champion Dmitry Bivol.

After three outings at Birmingham’s BP Pulse LIVE Arena, Whittaker will box for the first time across the city at the old National Indoor Arena.

It has been a proving ground for some of the country’s biggest names over the years. Whittaker, who once joined his mum there for a Peter Andre concert, is hoping to put on a show of his own.

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Whittaker said: “I think I can become that flag-bearer for British boxing but for me, I don’t really set out to do that. If it comes, it’s nice but I just want to come in here, get world titles, establish my legacy and then leave. But, of course, I’ve got a little something about me; I look good, I talk good, I fight good. If the popularity comes with it then you can’t really rub that out. I’m in a great position but it’s up to me to just keep winning.”

Wallace said: “I think it’s the year of the upsets, look at Moses Itauma losing to Filip Hrgovic. Anything can happen, it all comes down to what happens on the night. That’s why I’m looking forward to getting in there and seeing what I can do. You will see the best version of Conor Wallace on the night, this is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a young boy. This hasn’t happened overnight, I’ve earned my spot here.”

Unsurprisingly, after seeing off his last four opponents in a combined total of just six rounds, Whittaker is a huge favorite with the oddsmakers here.

The best price available on a Whittaker victory is 1/7 (-700) while Wallace to get knocked down at any point is a stingy ¼ (-400). Anyone who fancies an upset in Birmingham can get 13/2 (+650) on the Australian while the draw is 30/1 (+3000).

The British title is on the line at both junior middleweight and flyweight on Saturday night.

First, reigning 154-pound champion Bilal Fawaz (12-1-1, 4 KOs) faces Eithan James (17-2) in his second defense of the Lonsdale belt while Hamza Uddin (7-0, 4 KOs) challenges 112-pound champion Sean Bruce (8-2) for his title in a fight where the vacant Commonwealth strap is also on the line.

Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

The whole show will be streamed live on DAZN from 7 p.m BST.