British light heavyweight Ben Whittaker has come in for criticism from one of his rivals.
It’s fair to say that Whittaker is a divisive fighter. The Wolverhampton man and Olympic silver medallist burst onto the pro scene as a showboater who likes to play-act during fights. He would mocks his opponent and play around between throwing punches in a way that fans either loved or hated, and pundits are the same.
After progressing largely unchallenged, he fought to a controversial draw with Liam Cameron, which many believe showed his level. However, in the immediate rematch, ‘The Surgeon’ got the job done in much more professional fashion and stopped his man inside two rounds. With fresh promotional backing from Matchroom and a new training partnership with Andy Lee, in Whittaker’s latest outing he looked much more about business, stopping Benjamin Gavazi in one round without any showboating. He will now progress accordingly, but how far that is ramins to be seen.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Willy Hutchinson had plenty to say about Whittaker and what he thinks was a poor last opponent in Gavazi.
“Somehow, the man is two or three in the WBC after fighting a man who has looked like he’s never boxed a day in his life.
“He’s not great, I find it hard to believe he could even become world champion but for the looks of things he’s getting promoted right. He’s had 10 fights and beaten a pumpkin pie and he can say he’s number two in the WBC. It’s ridiculous.”
Scotsman Hutchinson beat Craig Richards in early 2024 before losing to Joshua Buatsi. In 2025, he bounced back with a sole win over Mark Jeffers, and returns to action this month against Ezra Taylor. Regardless of the result, Hutchison would be an extremely intriguing fight for Whittaker.
