Ben Whittaker says he’s at the level now of David Benavidez and other elite light heavyweights “skill-wise.”
Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) states that in a “couple of more fights,” he’ll be up with the elites at 175. Promoter Eddie Hearn may have other ideas, as he’s talking about wanting to bring the 2020 Olympic silver medalist along at a slower, five-fight pace before he puts him in with the top echelon light heavyweights.
Whittaker, 28, still needs to shake the quitter label fans gave him after he fell out of the ring during his first fight against Liam Cameron in 2024. They saw a fighter who chose not to continue fighting when the going got tough against a domestic-level boxer.
Quitting against that level of an opponent was a harbinger for things to come. Hearn chose to ignore that fight and sign Ben anyway. Will he live to regret this signing?
Tonight, Whittaker will show whether he’s cut from the same cloth as the likes of David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol when he fights Benjamin Gavazi.
The two are meeting in the 10-round main event for the vacant WBC Silver light heavyweight title in a 10-rounder at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. Whittaker-Gavazi will be shown live on DAZN.
“Not far. Skill-wise, I think I’m there now,” said Ben Whittaker to iFL TV when asked how far away he is from being at David Benavidez’s level in terms of elite light heavyweights. “I’m only 10 fights. A couple of more fights and I’ll be there.”
The way Whittaker fights, showboating and moving, isn’t anything like the elite light heavyweights. WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez attacks his opponents constantly and doesn’t waste time showboating. The same with Artur Beterbiev.
Bivol moves in and out, but doesn’t clown around, trying to make his opponents look bad the way Whittaker does.
“Of course, you want to see me in that mix,” said Whittaker when asked if he views himself among the top domestic-level fighters, Anthony Yarde, Lyndon Arthur, and Joshua Buatsi. “I’m the youngest one out of them. I’ve probably got the best skills out of them. They got experience.”
Ideally, Whittaker should fight those three fights to show that he can beat contenders before being thrown in with the sharks at 175, Benavidez, Bivol, and Beterbiev. The wheels may come off the Whittaker train long before he gets to the elite-level guys if Hearn puts him to a test first.
What Hearn should have done was wait to see if Whittaker was fool’s gold or the real 24k stuff before signing him to a long-term contract with Matchroom. Signing him to a one or two-fight deal and testing him against Callum Smith and Buatsi would have been the smart move. Hearn is high on Callum, so that would have been the perfect audition for Whittaker.
“But for me, it’s whatever comes up first. If a world title comes up first or a route to a world title, I’ll take that, of course,” said Whittaker. “But if I have to go through those guys, pick them off one by one, I’ll do that. I’ve got 10 fights, and I have people with 20 and 30 fights calling me out. So, whatever I’m doing, I’m doing something right. I think the more experience I get, the more dangerous I am. So, if I was them, I’d get me now.”