Olympic silver medallist and future boxing superstar Ben Whittaker will fight next on the undercard of the Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke British and Commonwealth heavyweight title clash at The O2 arena in London on Sunday March 31, live on Sky Sports
Wednesday 28 February 2024 14:30, UK
Future boxing superstar Ben Whittaker brings his unique style to The O2 in London as the latest addition to BOXXER’s action-packed 'Bad Blood' card on Sunday March 31, live on Sky Sports.
Whittaker, 6-0 (5), has become a viral sensation after clips of his flamboyant showboating during his stoppage win over Khalid Graidia on February 3 generated millions of views and global interest on social media.
Tipped for superstardom, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist will look to capitalise on his new-found attention by delivering a show-stealing performance following his win over Graidia on the Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez bill in Wembley.
"The style that I do is actually just my style. I'm not trying to go viral, I'm not trying to get likes and things like that. Of course, it's a compliment but I'm just being me. It's a good response but I've just got to keep level-headed, keep my feet on the ground and make sure I cut no corners," Whittaker told Sky Sports.
"I'm just trying to be myself. You only get one career so I'm just trying to have fun while I'm doing it. Everybody's got their own opinion and I'm excited to see where it goes.
"When I do actually box and switch on, I do believe there's not many people that can box like me. I've got a really good boxing IQ.
"I just can't wait to show when I'm at the top level my actual real skills."
Whittaker will add star power to an already stacked card on Easter Sunday topped by the ‘Bad Blood’ showdown between unbeaten heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke for the British and Commonwealth titles.
Florian Marku and Chris Kongo will settle their simmering welterweight rivalry following an explosive press conference altercation last year, while Alen 'The Savage' Babic takes on Newcastle’s Steve Robinson and rising super-middleweight star Callum Simpson closes in on a British title shot.
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “The reaction to Ben Whittaker’s performance against Khalid Graidia has been incredible. It shows the power of social media. He gained hundreds of thousands of followers overnight and there’s clips of him online with millions and millions of views.
"We’ve known from day one that we’ve got a superstar on our hands with Ben Whittaker. With his style and personality, we believe he can become the biggest star in world boxing.”
The 26-year-old is a rising star in the light-heavyweight division. He has an unbeaten 6-0 professional record, with five of those victories coming by knockout.
He was a highly successful amateur boxer, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, only losing to outstanding Cuban Arlen Lopez in the final.
Whittaker impressed in his Olympic Games and has dazzled in his professional performances, combining outrageous showboating with stunningly powerful combination punching.
That style was in full effect on February 3 as he stopped Khalid Graidia, with a clip of Whittaker's flamboyant showboating going viral on social media.
The attention has been global. For instance, American star Shakur Stevenson, the WBO lightweight world champion, messaged Whittaker on social media saying: "I'm a fan champ, I love how much fun you have while doing your craft.
"Tell them if they don't like it, step up the competition so you could do that to them too."
