Paulie Malignaggi’s praise for Ben Whittaker is running ahead of his performances. Calling him an “amazing talent” is difficult to square with how he struggled once Conor Wallace refused to play along with the showboating.
Whittaker had been getting away with those antics against the lesser opposition Matchroom and Boxxer put in front of him. Wallace was his first quality opponent, and the tricks that looked impressive against overmatched fighters didn’t work nearly as well.
“I think Whittaker is a tremendous talent, an amazing talent, but he’s got some things to work on,” Malignaggi told Boxing King Media. “At a world-class level, there are things he’s got to fix if he’s going to be successful.”
Wallace exposed how much work remains. Whittaker struggled under pressure late, and there is an argument that he should have lost. The falls that went uncounted as knockdowns and the repeated holding he was allowed to get away with helped him survive with a decision.
That wasn’t simply a case of the entertainment falling flat. Whittaker needed answers when Wallace kept coming, and too often his answer was to grab. Making lesser opponents miss is one thing. Keeping a quality fighter off you when tired is another.
Malignaggi understands why Whittaker’s approach invites a harsh reaction when things go wrong.
“If you’re going to sell the sizzle, you got to sell the steak,” he said. “Ben Whittaker sells the sizzle a lot.”
Paulie argues that the showboating doubles the criticism when Whittaker leaves people disappointed. That is fair, but it doesn’t explain the scale of his praise. Against Wallace, Whittaker showed weaknesses that better light heavyweights could punish even more severely.
Whittaker has ability, but the Wallace fight gave us more reason to question his readiness than celebrate his gifts. Malignaggi believes there is an exceptional fighter there. Whittaker still has to prove it against opponents who can make him pay for his mistakes.
