Following his 144-second demolition job on Braian Suarez on Saturday night in Liverpool, Ben Whittaker revealed it was a conversation with the all-time great that inspired a new, ruthless streak.

“Don’t play with your food so much,” was the message from Crawford, and Whittaker chowed down on the Argentinean puncher.

Now it’s time to let this more clinical version of “The Surgeon” off the leash. His trainer Andy Lee, one of the most astute minds in boxing, has sincerely suggested that Whittaker (11-0-1, 8 KOs) is capable of becoming one of British boxing’s best ever.

He won’t prove that against Suarez or the previous opponent, Benjamin Gavazi, who was also knocked out before he had even made it out of Round 1. Those are Whittaker's victims since he joined Matchroom and it is time for a step change.

It was encouraging to hear Eddie Hearn bring up Anthony Yarde, the three-time world title challenger, during the post-fight press conference. Let’s all hope it was a sincere mention and not just clout-chasing from the promoter.

To be fair, Hearn has always been upfront about the tier system he sees at light heavyweight.

Gavazi was the first one to clear before this, his second fight, which had been originally planned for America. After that, Hearn said, Whittaker would be ready for the next tier which contained domestic rivals Dan Azeez and Craig Richards.

For Hearn, East London’s Yarde (27-4, 24 KOs) sits in a tier above those two, alongside Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi. At the very top sits Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev and David Benavidez.

The plan today, we are told, is for Whittaker to make his American debut on the undercard of Jaron Ennis against Xander Zayas on June 27 in New York. Facing his compatriot Yarde on a card like that would make zero sense, given how well it would sell on home soil. But he needs a live body in front of him at Barclays Center to give him the requisite preparation for such a fight.

And what of Team Yarde? The 34-year-old contender has not boxed since he was stopped in the seventh round by Benavidez in the main event of “The Ring IV: Night of Champions” event November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has since split his time between the UK and Dubai, but a comeback is in the cards.

In reference to a fight with Whittaker, 28, Yarde’s trainer-manager, Tunde Ajayi, said: “Yes. Do you need me to spell it? Y. E. S.”

It’s a fight that makes perfect sense for everyone involved and will move Whittaker into the tier he belongs. No more hors d’oeuvres – let’s bring in a main course.

Alycia Baumgardner can fight whoever she wants, but her refusal to even consider unified Ring champ Caroline Dubois as an opponent is very strange.

After beating Bo Mi Re Shin who was — checks notes — beaten by Dubois last year, Baumgardner completely dismissed the Englishwoman in her post-fight interview.

Her suggestion is that she has her sights set firmly on bigger fish, that she is a piranha and that undefeated Dubois, with three belts in the division above her, is a guppy.

“The Bomb” has cast her net wider than Dubois, it seems, with Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano her prime targets. The first of those would do great business, particularly if it happens at Croke Park, but Serrano is not only already booked until the end of May but is a world champion at featherweight.

Baumgardner and Dubois are contracted to Most Valuable Promotions so it should be a reasonably straightforward fight to make. And while a 25-year-old Brit, whose profile is still in the building stage, might not usually offer much upside to an established draw such as Baumgarder, she does offer her the opportunity to become a two-weight world champion.

Royston Barney-Smith has long been earmarked as one of Frank Warren’s very best prospects, and on Friday night in Glasgow he lived up to the billing.

“Sugar Boy Roy,” still just 22, swept aside Conor McIntosh inside two rounds to become British and Commonwealth junior lightweight champion at SSE Hydro moving him to 16-0.

As he told The Ring last week, he and stablemate Moses Itauma have been mates since they were 12-year-old England schoolboys and the pair is clearly cut from the same cloth when it comes to world title potential.

Next, Barney-Smith is expected to feature on the card at St Mary’s Stadium in his hometown of Southampton. While it is Ryan Garner who headlines this time, there is every chance that it will be RBS at the top of the bill in a world title fight there before too long.