Ben Whittaker: Boxing’s Next Star Or All Hype?

November 25, 2024

6 days

Ben Whittaker: Boxing's Next Star Or All Hype?

Ben Whittaker is considered one of the most confident boxers in the world, but is he as good as he claims to be?

The light heavyweight had a promising amateur career. Ben won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2019. He also won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, losing out to Arlen Lopez, who picked up the gold. He ended his amateur career with a record of 53–13. While he vowed to win a gold medal, his plans changed as he signed a professional deal with BOXXER in 2022.

Whittaker’s Rise

He made a promising start to his career, stopping Greg O’Neil on his debut in 2022. He would fight three times in 2023, racking up stoppage wins. During this period, he wowed fans with quick reflexes, showboating and power, which earned him comparisons with Prince Naseem. Ben also trained with SugarHill Steward, who is known for his Kronk Style, which has developed many knockout artists. However, 2024 was not his best year. Despite being undefeated, his performances have come under question.

He has failed to stop his last three opponents, as he secured two wins and a technical draw. The result against Liam Cameron was very controversial. The fight was stopped in the fifth round just when Cameron appeared to be turning the fight in his favor. Cameron had Whittaker on the ropes. Both men then fell over the ropes. Whittaker was in pain, as he could not continue. Meanwhile, Cameron got back to his corner as he was ready to fight. The bout was stopped. Liam was confident that he would have been declared the winner. However, the judges had it otherwise, as it was declared a technical draw.

Whittaker Vs. Cameron

This created the narrative that Whittaker was looking for a way to quit. Ben denied those claims, setting the narrative for a rematch to remove all doubt. But his brand has come under question. He has not fought any elite-level fighters. Meanwhile, his power is struggling against durable fighters who appear to be walking him down.

This could cost him at 175 pounds in a division stacked with many big hitters. Unless Whittaker puts the Cameron performance behind him by facing Liam in the rematch, there will be questions over his level of quality. Ben’s promoter, Ben Shalom, has said that the Cameron rematch is the aim for his next fight.

“We want to make sure that he’s absolutely a-ok, and then, yes, he should be able to go. He will not fight this year, but we’re looking for a big homecoming in February or March. “[Cameron] is the fight that is in the front of my mind, is in the front of his mind. But first and foremost we need to see him come back fit.

“For me, it was the neck that was the concern. The year before, I think he was out for eight or nine months. And, for us, he was a massive signing from the Olympics. So when I saw him flip over the ropes with a 13st man fall on top of him, knowing what happened with the neck, that was the first concern” Shalom said