2020 Olympic Silver medalist Ben Whittaker will headline in November in Birmingham against an opponent yet to be determined.
The unbeaten light heavyweight contender Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) will be coming into the fight off an impressive second-round knockout win over Liam Cameron in their rematch earlier this year on April 9, 2025, in Birmingham.
A Return to Olympic Form
Ben looked a lot different in that fight than he had in his first encounter with Cameron last year on October 12, 2024. Whittaker moved well, countering the Beterbiev-like Cameron and staying out of the way of his heavy punches.
It was a total schooling by Whittaker, who displayed the kind of skills that we saw from him in the 2020 Olympics, when he defeated Keno Marley in the quarterfinals and Imam Khataev in the semifinals.
Silencing the Critics
Whittaker had gotten away from that style in his first fight against Cameron last year by choosing to fight more stationary. That’s not a style that works for him, especially against fighters who pressure the way that Cameron was doing in that fight.
Their first fight last year was ruled a six-round technical draw after both fighters fell out of the ring. Whittaker suffered an ankle injury during the fall and couldn’t continue.
Many boxing fans believed that he’d faked the injury because he was under constant pressure from Cameron and taking a lot of punishment.
It didn’t look good for Whittaker going into the sixth, and perhaps the injury may have saved him from suffering a defeat. The scores at the time of the stoppage were 58-58, 58-57 for Whittaker and 58-57 for Cameron.
What was troubling about the fight was that it wasn’t supposed to be competitive at all. Liam was the type of opponent that former top amateur fighters face while on the way up the ranks.
What Whittaker wasn’t expecting was how aggressively Cameron fought. He looked like he’d studied Whittaker’s loss to Cuban Arlen Lopez in the 2020 Olympic finals, and mimicked his pressure style. That approach was kryptonite for Ben.
Shalom Negotiates Next Opponent
The Ring broke the news on Whittaker, 28, fighting in November. His promoter, Ben Shalom, is negotiating a fight for him. He didn’t give any hints about who the opponent will be, but he’ll likely be facing a top-tier contender at 175.
Quest for a Title Shot
Ranked #9 WBC, #11 WBA, #13 IBF at light heavyweight, Whittaker isn’t far off from getting a world title shot. He needs to be a little more active to get a crack at unified three-belt champion Dmitry Bivol before he retires or is dethroned by a less popular fighter.