On Saturday, Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) fights Australia-based Irishman Conor Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on DAZN.

The winner will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF title held by Dmitry Bivol. The Russian also possesses the Ring, WBA and WBO belts.

Lee has been a devout believer in Whittaker’s talent from the moment the 29-year-old announced that he would be moving his training operations to Dublin after a difficult, controversial technical draw with Liam Cameron in October 2024.

The former WBO middleweight champion was a tall, rangy fighter with whip-like power who spent years fully immersed in the Kronk style while training with Manny Steward at the famous Detroit gym. He set about adding a sharp edge to the skills Whittaker used to win a silver medal at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games.

The two immediately fell into step. Whittaker blew away Cameron in the second round of their rematch and followed it up with first-round finishes of Benjamin Gavazi and Braian Suarez.

In June, he made an eye-catching American debut when he became the first to stop Richard "Popeye" Rivera in the second round.

“[He’s] only getting stronger and more explosive and more powerful,” Lee said at Thursday’s final press conference.

“His brother, Jamie, does a fantastic job with him before he comes to Ireland, and on that foundation of strength and conditioning I put the technique behind it and it’s frightening when he hits you.

“When he hits your hand, you’re almost flinching and pulling back. Not only that, he has the talent. Listen, these guys weren't meant to get knocked out early — especially Suarez and ‘Popeye’ — but they have, and with Cameron we saw what happened in the first fight. Once he was switched on, the difference in the two performances was night and day.”

Whittaker is being positioned as one of the fighters who can put British boxing on their shoulders and carry it over the next five years. He is a huge favorite to beat Wallace and a large crowd will take their seats at Utilita Arena expecting to see a performance rather than a fight.

As well as making sure that Whittaker is prepared physically, Lee has made a point of keeping his focus and not looking ahead.

“[It’s] a great matchup with two young hungry fighters who have a lot to gain,” Lee said.

“I think Ben has to be careful of Conor because if Conor somehow manages to win, he’s in the limelight, he rips up the script as he's been saying. But believe me, Ben's left no stone unturned. He’s been in Ireland for eight weeks. He's trained extremely hard. He's sparred multiple rounds and he's only getting better.”