Most fans haven’t made up their minds about Britain’s light-heavyweight prodigy Ben Whittaker.

Whittaker has danced and hopped his way around the ring in seven professional fights since winning Olympic silver in Tokyo three years ago, at times failing to glance at his opponent.

He has still delivered some amazing knockouts, but his showy antics are not for everyone, raising the issue of whether he can do it at the highest level.

Rising star Ben Whittaker is still yet to fully convince some boxing fans that he is the real deal

His promoter, Ben Shalom, has no doubts. In fact, he is sure that he has someone truly remarkable in his stable, a future superstar.

For the past decade, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have dominated boxing headlines in the country. However, they are now 34 and 35, respectively, and the Gypsy King lost his most recent battle against Oleksandr Usyk.

His promoter, Ben Shalom (pictured), is convinced Whittaker is going to be a superstar

Shalom feels Whittaker will replace Joshua (left) and Fury (right) as the next face of boxing

Another defeat in the rematch in December could spell the end of his career, and Joshua is not going to be around forever.

British boxing needs its next household name to step forward, and Shalom firmly believes Whittaker, who will take on the unbeaten Ezra Arenyeka at Selhurst Park on Saturday night, will be the man to take over from Joshua and Fury.

Outlining his plans for the 27-year-old, Shalom insisted he will not rush Whittaker’s development, but he is ready to step up his level of competition to ensure he can move through the levels in the near future.

‘I think there’s a lot of pressure on him because of how much noise he’s making,’ Shalom told Mail Sport. ‘I can’t think of anyone in the history of boxing in that light-heavyweight division in particular, that after just a handful of fights is getting this much attention.

‘There are crazy people who believe he should be with [Dmitry] Bivol and [Artur] Beterbiev already. It is not going to happen. He needs to learn his trade. He is incredibly s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed and will get to the top of the sport.

‘He’s the most naturally brilliant boxer, and I believe in the domestic scene. He’ll be in major fights soon, but it’s our responsibility to make sure he’s a superstar by the time he gets there, because this country needs stars.

‘You’ve seen Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury maybe nearing the conclusion of their careers, and you’ve got to think about who will be the next star. Who will fly the flag when they retire? I suppose it is Ben Whittaker.

Whittaker is set to fight Ezra Arenyeka (right) on Saturday and Shalom thinks this challenge will bring out the best in him

Whittaker has cruised his way through his professional career so far but Shalom thinks a step up in opponent will take him to a new level

I believe he’s the future face of the sport and he needs to be built, he needs to be seen in the right places. He’s going to headline next in his hometown of Wolverhampton. We’re then taking him out to the States for a headline show out there.’

Since his professional debut two years ago, Whittaker has had things largely his own way, with his opponents often opting for survival tactics to hear the final bell.

That is unlikely to be the case this weekend, though, given that Arenyeka has not held back with his criticism of Whittaker in the build-up, accusing his rival of acting ‘like a kid’ with his showboating.

Arenyeka boasts 10 knockouts in his 12 wins and his punching power could pose a problem if Whittaker takes his eye off the job at hand. But Shalom is confident that Whittaker will rise to the challenge and produce a special performance to potentially steal the show on the Chris Billam-Smith vs Richard Riakporhe undercard.

‘It’s a step up, let’s be honest,’ Shalom added. ‘To find someone who’s willing to come and be that confident and stick it on him, put him under pressure and be dangerous because of how hard he can punch, that’s the test that he needs.

I anticipate him to thrive in that setting. He wants competitors that want to win, warriors who will follow him, and you’ll see him at his absolute best. I believe you’re in for something pretty remarkable.

‘I won’t disclose too much about the ring walk and everything, but with the sun setting over Selhurst Park, we’re going to witness him progress to the next level.’

This weekend’s world title match between Billam-Smith and Riakporhe, with Whittaker on the undercard, promises to be one of the biggest exhibitions of the year on British soil.

The majority of the sport’s marquee events have recently taken place in Saudi Arabia, thanks to massive investment from the Middle Eastern country.

Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh reportedly wants to create a Super League in boxing

Shalom says the past 6-8 months have proven what Saudi can bring to boxing and that ‘the unthinkable is doable’.

Saudi officials are reportedly negotiating a £4 billion deal to form a new ‘Super League’, bringing together top fighters and promoters worldwide.

It’s an ambitious plan, and Shalom says he used to think it was a little unrealistic, but he now sees things differently.

‘I saw the rumors as well as you,’ he said.

‘If you had asked us twelve months ago, we would have all said that was impossible.

‘What they’ve accomplished in the previous eight months demonstrates that the impossible is attainable.’

Shalom said, ‘You can’t bet against them, can you? This is all I can say.

‘You only have to look at what they’ve done in the heavyweight class over the last 6-8 months, in a stagnant division that was not progressing. And they have the money to do it.