Promoter Ben Shalom is representing who he thinks could beat Ben Whittaker and become the next major star in the light heavyweight division.
Whittaker is the current WBC Silver light heavyweight champion, most recently claiming a second round knockout win over Richard Rivera in June.
He had a controversial bout with Liam Cameron in October 2024 when he was awarded a technical draw after injuring himself in the ring, then knocked out Cameron inside two rounds in the rematch.
Whittaker is set to return to action in October in an IBF world title final eliminator against Conor Wallace and his flashy in-ring style has been compared to that of ‘Prince Nas’, though the man himself disputes that.
Right now, Dmitry Bivol holds the IBF, WBO and WBA light heavyweight titles while David Benavidez holds the WBC belt, but Boxxer CEO Shalom is hoping he can manoeuvre his fast-rising talent Gradus Kraus into contention sooner rather than later.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Shalom put his full backing behind his man Kraus to beat Whittaker if they were to fight soon.
“Listen, I think he beats him now, and he’s five years younger. It’s scary, scary. I believe I’ve got the best light heavyweight in the world. I truly believe that. We’re going to chase the IBF down. We’re going to get those rankings, and we’ll hopefully get the fight ordered. That’s the plan; he’s coming, he’s coming.
“Hopefully we can make that fight; we’re on DAZN now. I know DAZN will want to make the best fights, so maybe they can speak to Eddie. He’s a star in Holland, he sells out arenas in Holland, and he’s starting to make a name for himself in the world now. He’s going to headline in October, November, then let’s see where we’ll get to, but hopefully that fight can happen in the next 12 months.”
Kraus is a 25-year-old Dutchman who has won all 12 of his fights, 11 by KO. He was expected to face a tougher test in Sean Hemphill on Saturday in Leeds but immediately backed his opponent into the corner and began landing punches.
The end came inside the first 63 seconds, so now the 6ft 2 Kraus will be looking to step up and continue his journey to the top.
