Promoter Eddie Hearn says gentle heavyweight Ben Whittaker will be the subsequent massive star in British boxing. He believes he’s acquired “can’t miss” kind expertise, and he desires to show him right into a world champion at 175.
(Credit score: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
The Matchroom boss Hearn is banking on Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) turning into the subsequent massive star within the UK. He’s acquired him signed to a long-term deal, and he’s going to attempt to push him quick, beginning along with his debut with Matchroom in opposition to Ben Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) on November 29 on the Nationwide Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
“Can’t-Miss” Expertise at 175
Whittaker vs. Gavazi could have the vacant WBC Silver 175-lb title on the road for the combat. The occasion might be proven dwell on DAZN.
“Folks hold saying to me, ‘Inform me the subsequent massive star of British boxing.’ That is the man, and we’ve all the time identified that,” stated promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about gentle heavyweight Ben Whittaker. “From what we are able to do globally, we are able to’t miss.”
Whittaker is usually a “star” in a way. He is usually a star within the UK, like Conor Benn, and can do effectively if Hearn strategically matches him. If he’s calculated with how he matched Whittaker, selecting solely fights which are sure-thing wins for him, he can turn out to be a star. It could be a mistake to match Whittaker in opposition to any of those fighters:
Dmitry Bivol
David Benavidez
Callum Smith
Joshua Buatsi
Quick-Tracked to Stardom
“Folks don’t perceive how good he’s. He was a silver medalist within the [2020] Olympics. That is an elite fighter,” stated Hearn about Whittaker. “We’ve to win world titles, however we’ve to construct ourselves to that degree. The cream will rise to the highest. The entire nation might be tuned in for this man. This [Gavazi] goes to be a very good combat.”
Studying From Olympic Defeat
Followers noticed Whittaker get walked down and crushed by Cuba’s Arlen Lopez within the 2020 Olympics. He additionally had a whole lot of bother in his match in opposition to Russia’s Imam Khataev. These two fights revealed the blueprint on find out how to defeat Whittaker by placing him underneath intense strain and hitting him onerous. He seems to emphasize out when tagged onerous to the top and physique.
Bradley Points a Warning
Tim Bradley believes this combat goes to be “quite a bit more durable than what folks suppose it’s going to be” for Whittaker. He says if he began “clowning round,” Gavazi is the kind of fighter who can reap the benefits of that. Whittaker can’t afford to combat him the best way he’s accomplished in his 9 lower-level fights he’s had within the professional ranks.
Whittaker’s former promoters at Boxxer didn’t do him any favors by matching him in opposition to so many tomato cans, which they didn’t must do given his Olympic expertise. As an alternative of taking fights severely, Whittaker did a whole lot of showboating for the crowds, forming dangerous habits that didn’t assist his improvement.
That will have been one of many the reason why he fell aside mentally when pressured by Liam Cameron of their first combat on October 12, 2024. Liam ignored the junk clowning that Whittaker was doing and saved strolling him down, touchdown onerous photographs every time he acquired to him. That little episode the place Whittaker fell out of the ring within the sixth was a reasonably instance of a fighter quitting when the going acquired too powerful.
Will Hearn Remorse the Gamble?
Hearn might dwell to remorse signing Whittaker to a long-term deal reasonably than a brief, experimental two-fight deal. If he had accomplished that, he might have thrown Whittaker to the wolves immediately in back-to-back fights to check whether or not he might deal with it. If he gained and seemed sensational, then it could have made sense to supply him a long-term deal. A very good two-fight check would have been in opposition to these fighters:
David Morrell
Artur Beterbiev
Michael Collins has been writing about boxing since 2016, masking championship fights, rising prospects, and the enterprise facet of the game.
