2020 Olympic Silver medalist Ben Whittaker says there are not many fighters at 175 that can showboat the way he does ahead of his fight this Saturday, November 29th.
Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) makes his debut for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom this Saturday against Benjamin Gavazi on DAZN at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England. The WBC Silver light heavyweight vacant title will be at stake.
A Showcase, Not a Test
Whittaker-Gavazi is seen as a gimmie for the 28-year-old Whittaker to make him shine in front of the fans on DAZN in his debut with Hearn’s company. Eddie views him as a can’t-miss star. However, many fans believe Ben isn’t rugged enough to stand up to the talented 175-pounders like David Benavidez, David Morrell, Callum Smith, and Joshua Buatsi.
“Of course, as I say, you take each fight as it comes. There’s not a lot of light heavyweights that can do what I can do,” said Ben Whittaker to DAZN Boxing about there not being many fighters at 175 that can showboat like him. “They can’t move the way I move, and I think that’s very unique in itself.”
Flash Against the Wrong Opponents
The criticism that Whittaker gets is that he showboats while fighting the wrong opposition. He does it against poor opponents, making him look cruel and bullying. It comes across like Ben enjoys humiliating lesser fighters and making himself look bad in the process.
Whittaker is coming off a second-round knockout win over Liam Cameron in their rematch on April 20, 2025. This was seen as Ben’s redemption, as in their first fight, he’d grabbed Cameron, leaned over the ropes, and fallen out of the ring in the sixth round on October 12, 2024. Whittaker couldn’t continue due to an injury during the fall. Fans suspected he quit because the fight was going badly for him. The match was subsequently ruled as a sixth-round technical draw.
Whittaker is ranked #9, #12 WBO, #13 WBA, and #14 IBF. His opponent, 30-year-old Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) hasn’t fought at the top level during his seven-year career. It’s difficult to gauge how well he’ll do against the crafty 6’3″ Whittaker.
Whittaker’s “Right Time to Sauce”
“There’s a time and a place for it. Sometimes, just simple boxing. The jabs, the feints, the controls that can win you the fights. But sometimes when you want to add that sauce to it, you can turn it up. And that’s what I can do, luckily,” said Whittaker.
Ben Whittaker talks flashy style and future 💫
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— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 26, 2025