Benjamin Whittaker
Benjamin G. Whittaker (born 6 June 1997)[2] is an English professional boxer. He is the Current IBF International Light Heavyweight Champion and As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Benjamin Whittaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ben Whittaker in 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 June 1997 Darlaston, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Light-heavyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Amateur career
In 2018, he was picked to represent England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Australia's Gold Coast.[3]
In 2019, he was selected to compete at the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia,[4] where he won the bronze medal after losing by unanimous decision to Dilshodbek Ruzmetov in the semi-finals.[5]
In 2021, at the men's light-heavyweight category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Whittaker won the silver medal against Arlen Lopez, who won gold.
Whittaker tweeted, "You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure."
Distraught from falling short of gold, he refused to wear the medal at the ceremony; however, he vowed he would return to win gold, saying: "I'll come back, trust me."
Whittaker's passionate reaction drew mixed reactions, but most people were empathetic of Whittaker's reaction. English media personality Piers Morgan tweeted: "Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker".[6]
Professional career
In 2022 he signed a professional deal with Boxxer, training with SugarHill Steward.[7][8]
2024
On February 3, 2024 at Wembley Arena in London, Whittaker defeated Khalid Graidia via fifth round TKO.[9]
On March 31, 2024, Whittaker fought at The O2 Arena in London, England on the undercard of a British heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke. He fought Leon Willings, and beat him comfortably via unanimous decision [10]
On June 15 2024, Whittaker Won The IBF International Light Heavyweight Championship after defeating 12-0 African Boxer Ezra Arenyeka by Unanimous Decision.
Whittaker is Currently Scheduled to make the first defence of his IBF International Light Heavyweight Title Against Liam Cameron on The Undercard of Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev on October 12
Professional boxing record
| 8 fights | 8 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka | UD | 10 | 15 Jun 2024 | Selhurst Park, London, England | Won vacant IBF International light-heavyweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Leon Willings | UD | 8 | 31 Mar 2024 | The O2 Arena, London, England | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Khalid Graidia | TKO | 5 (8) 1:57 | 3 Feb 2024 | OVO Arena, London, England | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Stiven Dredhaj | KO | 4 (8) 0:54 | 10 Dec 2023 | Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Vladimir Belujsky | TKO | 8 (8) 1:49 | 1 July 2023 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jordan Grant | TKO | 3 (6) 0:13 | 6 May 2023 | Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, England | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Petar Nosic | UD | 6 | 20 Aug 2022 | Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Greg O'Neil | KO | 2 (6) 0:21 | 30 Jul 2022 | Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England |
Notes
- ^ Also designated as the 2019 men's European Championships
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Benjamin Whittaker". BoxRec.
- ^ "Benjamin Whittaker - England Boxing Team". Commonwealth Games England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games 2018: McCormack twins named in England boxing squad". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". boxing247.com. East Side Boxing. 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". GB Boxing. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Piers [@piersmorgan] (4 August 2021). "'You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure. You're in this game to win gold.' Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker. https://t.co/32RKabmDx5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ben Whittaker: Olympic silver medallist signs long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "GB Olympic medallist Whittaker to turn pro". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Caroline Dubois excels in Miranda Reyes battle as Ben Whittaker dazzles again in Khalid Graidia stoppage victory". Sky Sports.
- ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (16 February 2024). "Ben Whittaker joins Wardley vs Clarke undercard in London". FIGHTMAG.
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