Ben Whittaker is gearing up for an all-British showdown early next year. The Olympic silver medallist weathered a late storm to secure a unanimous decision victory over Conor Wallace in an IBF final eliminator last month.Whittaker is hoping to return to the ring in either February or March after beating WallaceGettyWhittaker is now the mandatory challenger for unified WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who boxes WBO interim titlist Callum Smith on December 12.As the IBF is the last in the sanctioning body rotation system, Whittaker is unlikely to get his shot until the back end of 2027 at the earliest. Whittaker is therefore exploring his options for a return to the ring in the first quarter of next year. The fourth piece of the undisputed puzzle, the vacant WBC title, is being contested between Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson on November 7. And Whittaker will be keeping a close eye on the fight, as well as many of his other domestic rivals.“Ben Whittaker is looking to fight probably in February or March,” Whittaker’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told iFL TV.“He loves the winner of that fight [between Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson].“We talked about British guys, whether that is [Lewis] Edmondson, [Lyndon] Arthur, [Anthony] Yarde.“[Yarde] is a fight that is at the top of his list; I think that is a brilliant fight.“But, of course, he wants to fight for the world title, and if we can get a shot at the winner this weekend, then I think it is a good fight. Whittaker will be a keen observer of Buatsi and Hutchinson’s rematch this weekendMark Robinson/Matchroom“It’s an interesting fight; let’s see who gets the win.”Anthony Yarde‘s team approached Matchroom earlier this year to enquire about a fight with Whittaker, but were told it couldn’t happen until early next year as a bout with Wallace was already in the works.With Wallace now out of the way and talks of a rematch quickly dying off, Yarde appears to be the frontrunner to face Whittaker next. Three-time world title challenger Yarde would act as a perfect yardstick to determine whether Whittaker is ready for a shot at light heavyweight gold.Lyndon Arthur and Lewis Edmondson serve as high-risk, low-reward options for Whittaker and seem, at least on paper, to make less sense than Yarde. There are also a couple of hurdles in the way of a bout with Edmondson.Yarde is at the top of Whittaker’s hit list for his next fight in early 2027GettyFor one, the British Boxing Board of Control has ordered Edmondson to defend his British light heavyweight title against Dan Azeez, with purse bids due by noon on 11 November.Edmondson also has a court date set for 14 June, 2027 for dangerous driving and possession of a Class A drug (cocaine) with intent to supply.He has pleaded not guilty to both charges, which stem from an alleged incident in August 2021.Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.