After a light heavyweight interim title fight between Callum Smith and David Morrell was postponed, Ben Whittaker was given a major opportunity to shine in Merseyside, UK.
Smith’s withdrawal means that the main event at the Liverpool Arena is now Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) against Braian Suarez (21-4, 20 KOs) in a light heavyweight affair across 10 rounds.
The UK fighter Whittaker will look to add another impressive performance to his highlight reel as he faces an exciting challenge in the finish-or-be-finished Argentine, Suarez.
‘The Surgeon’ Whittaker had a destructive win in his last outing in November 2025, showing a huge gap in quality with his opponent, Benjamin Gavazi, who was knocked out in the first round.
The stoppage was Whittaker’s second in a row, having defeated Liam Cameron seven months prior. It was Whittaker’s second meeting with Cameron, after the pair had a controversial technical draw after both men fell out of the ring.
Although some people expected a bigger step up in quality for the 28-year-old, who is the WBC number three-ranked light heavyweight, Eddie Hearn has said a win will earn him an American debut on the undercard of Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis.
Suarez, 34, is looking to spoil the show for the home country fighter. In his 25 professional fights, he has only heard the final bell twice. He goes into the bout off a second-round TKO victory over a 9-6 opponent.
Also featured on the card is former UFC star and Liverpudlian Molly McCann, who is looking to continue her good start to life in boxing. She takes on Wales’ Ashleigh Johnson, who is 3-3 in her career.
Molly McCann | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez date
Date: April 18, 2026
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez time
Time: 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. EST (main event ringwalk approximately 9:20 pm BST / 4:20 pm ET)
How to watch Whittaker vs Suarez
Stream: DAZN
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez location
Location: Liverpool Arena, Liverpool, UK
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez betting odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
Moneyline: Whittaker -2000 / Suarez +900
Winner by KO/TKO/DQ: Whittaker -450 / Suarez +1400
Winner by Points: Whittaker +380 / +2500
Rounds 4.5: Over -110 / Under -125
Ben Whittaker vs Braian Suarez fight cardBen Whittaker vs Braian Suarez – Light Heavyweight Molly McCann vs Ashleigh Johnson – Super BantamweightLeo Atang vs Viktar Chvarkou – Heavyweight Joe McGrail vs Aaron Hayden – Super Bantamweight Stephen Clarke vs Luis Enrique Morales – Middleweight Tom Rafferty vs Pablo Sosa – Middleweight Jack Power vs Novak Padulovic – Middleweight Sam Norris vs Jahfieus Faure – Super Featherweight
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