Benjamin Whittaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born |
Darlaston, England | 6 June 1997|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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Benjamin G. Whittaker (born 6 June 1997) [2] is an English professional boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. His style is reminiscent of the legendary Pernell Whitaker.
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]
In 2022 he signed a professional deal with Boxxer, training with SugarHill Steward. [7] [8]
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]
8 fights | 8 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 5 | 0 |
By decision | 3 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
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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 | PTS | 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 |