Among the items the thieves took that night was his IBF international title, and with no arrests made in connection with the crime, Whittaker still hasn't got his belt back.

On Saturday night, back in the city a few miles south of his hometown of Wolverhampton, Whittaker faces Conor Wallace in a final eliminator for the IBF light-heavyweight world title.

“That belt is gone, but the lord works in mysterious ways, you know what I mean?” Whittaker says. “They took the international title so I can open the door for the world title. That’s what it is.”

The thieves must have worked fast, given that it took Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) just 135 seconds into his Matchroom debut to knock out Benjamin Gavazi. He immediately raised the alarm once he got home and found the smashed window, busted blinds, and various possessions missing. Despite offering a cash reward, he never heard anything about who did it.

He has since boxed in Liverpool and New York and admitted to The Ring that he was wary of returning to Birmingham after what happened the last time he boxed there.

“It’s all part of the game and if you ain’t got no haters you ain’t popping,” he said. “All part of the game.

“That’s why I didn’t want to come back to Birmingham, truthfully, but it is what it is. The belt is gone now.”

His clash against Gavazi, plus his two other victories in England’s second city, took place at BP Pulse Live Arena, but he will take on Wallace across town at Utilita Arena, previously known as the National Indoor Arena. The 29-year-old is familiar with the place, but not because of fighting.

“I went there with my mum to watch Peter Andre,” Whittaker said. “He was good, man. I saw him there, I saw 50 Cent there, the list goes on. I also saw Pink there, twice, so I have good memories. My mum used to drag me out because she had no one else to go with.

“Of course it's nice to be at home, come to this arena for like concerts and stuff like that, so I'm very familiar with it. But yeah, wherever I fight, I don't really mind.”

Whittaker has long been tipped to become one of the biggest draws in British boxing and the signs are good. Following high demand for tickets, Matchroom confirmed it has opened another section of the arena for Saturday's event, which will be broadcast live on DAZN.

“They must think Peter Andre is back in town, for real,” Whittaker said. “That’s the only time I’ve seen those extra seats made available.

“But it’s a blessing, of course, because you dream of nights like this. It’s down to me to put on a performance for them. It's nice to see a big arena, and not only that, it helps out the other fighters too.

“If you keep bringing more attraction back to the area, it opens up big nights for them as well. So it's a win-win.”

Whittaker is The Ring’s No. 10-ranked light-heavyweight, but he knows a victory over Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) could secure a shot at the world title, currently held by Dmitry Bivol, in his very next fight.

He added: “I try not to look too far down the road. I've got a decent fighter in front of me.

“So I’ll dispatch him the way I'm supposed to, then we can look forward. But I think it's starting to get a bit exciting in the division now. It's starting to loosen up a little bit.

“The belts are looking like they might be moving around, and it's quite exciting. I think that's why I'm in the right place at the right time, but we'll see, we'll see.

“It's a new age for the light-heavyweights. Bivol's probably got one or two fights left. Artur Beterbiev has probably got one fight, two fights left.

“David Benavidez, he's getting bigger and bigger, so he's probably going to stay at cruiserweight or move up. So the doors are opening, and the door opens when I win Saturday.

“You know, as a world title eliminator, it gets me to No.1, and it gets me in that position where I'll be the new kid on the block.”