Benjamin Whittaker

For other people with similar names, see Benjamin Whitaker (disambiguation).
Benjamin Whittaker
Ben Whittaker in 2021
Personal information
Born (1997-06-06) 6 June 1997 (age 28)
Bilston, Wolverhampton, England
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
WeightLight-heavyweight
Boxing career
Reach75 in (191 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record[1]
Total fights12
Wins11
Win by KO8
Draws1
Medal record
Men's Amateur boxing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Light-heavyweight
European Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk[a] Light-heavyweight
Representing  England
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Yekaterinburg Light-heavyweight
EU Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Valladolid Light-heavyweight

Benjamin G. Whittaker (born 6 June 1997),[2] is a British professional boxer who has held the IBF International light-heavyweight title since June 2024. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He turned professional in 2022.

Early life

Whittaker was born to an English-Austrian mother and a Jamaican father.[3]

Amateur career

In 2018, he was picked to represent England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Australia's Gold Coast.[4]

In 2019, he was selected to compete at the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia,[5] where he won the bronze medal after losing by unanimous decision to Dilshodbek Ruzmetov in the semi-finals.[6]

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.

His amateur record stands at 53–13.

Professional career

In 2022 he signed a professional deal with Boxxer, training with SugarHill Steward.[7][8]

On 3 February 2024 at Wembley Arena in London, Whittaker defeated Khalid Graidia via fifth round technical knockout.[9]

On 31 March 2024, Whittaker fought at The O2 Arena in London on the undercard of a British heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke, defeating Leon Willings via unanimous decision.[10][11]

On 15 June 2024, Whittaker won the IBF International light-heavyweight title after defeating 12–0 Ezra Arenyeka by unanimous decision.[12][13]

On 12 October 2024, Whittaker made his first defence of his IBF International light-heavyweight title against Liam Cameron on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. During the bout both boxers became entangled as Whittaker pulled Cameron towards the ropes, resulting in their tumbling over and Whittaker being forced to withdraw due to an injury. The fight subsequently went to the judges' scorecards, as per the rules of the British Boxing Board of Control, with both boxers receiving a 58–57 score respectively as well as a 58–58 score, resulting in a split decision technical draw.[14]

Whittaker faced Cameron in a rematch in Birmingham on 20 April 2025.[15] He won by stoppage in the second round.[16][17]

In October 2025, he signed a long-term contract with Eddie Hearn led Matchroom Boxing.[18]. A month later on 29 November, Whittaker stopped Benjamin Gavazi in the first round of their fight at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham to win the vacant WBC Silver light-heavyweight title.[19][20]

Whittaker knocked out Braian Suarez in round one at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool on 18 April 2026.[21][22]

Public image

Whittaker has attracted attention for his flamboyant in-ring style which often includes exaggerated feints and taunting gestures.[23] His approach has divided opinion among boxing fans and commentators, with some describing it as entertaining and others viewing it as disrespectful to opponents and the sport. In 2023, ITV News reported that Whittaker had been criticised by some boxing fans for “making a mockery of the sport” and that others had said he “needs humbling”. Whittaker rejected the suggestion that his style was disrespectful, saying that boxing was “show business” and that he wanted to entertain paying spectators.[24]

Some of Whittaker’s opponents have also criticised his over-the-top showmanship. Before their 2024 bout, Ezra Arenyeka said that Whittaker had “always showboated and acted silly in the ring” and argued that the behavior made him appear arrogant, although Whittaker went on to defeat Arenyeka by unanimous decision.[25] Ahead of their scheduled 2026 bout, Whittaker's opponent Richard Rivera said he was "not convinced" by Whittaker and claimed that Whittaker had "the boxing world fooled".[26]

Professional boxing record

12 fights 11 wins 0 losses
By knockout 8 0
By decision 3 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
12 Win 11–0–1 Braian Nahuel Suarez KO 1 (10), 2:24 18 Apr 2026 M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England
11 Win 10–0–1 Benjamin Gavazi KO 1 (10), 2:15 29 Nov 2025 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England Won vacant WBC Silver light-heavyweight title
10 Win 9–0–1 Liam Cameron TKO 2 (10), 1:53 20 Apr 2025 bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham, England
9 Draw 8–0–1 Liam Cameron TD 5 (10), 3:00 12 Oct 2024 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Retained IBF International light-heavyweight title;
For vacant WBO Global light-heavyweight title
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

Anime influence

Whittaker has spoken publicly about his interest in Japanese Anime, which has influenced both his personal style and body art. A fan of series such as One Piece, he has incorporated this interest into multiple tattoos, including large designs inspired by its characters, and has travelled to Japan to have some of the artwork completed. He started getting his anime tattoos in Japan after he won his silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He has stated that his tattoos reflect his personality and individuality, and that his appreciation for anime is a significant part of his identity outside the ring.[27]

Notes

  1. ^ Also designated as the 2019 men's European Championships

References

  1. ^ "Boxing record for Benjamin Whittaker". BoxRec.
  2. ^ "Benjamin Whittaker - England Boxing Team". Commonwealth Games England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ^ Llewellyn, Liam (20 October 2022). "Black History Month: Ben Whittaker on racial profiling and importance of representation". Mirror. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Commonwealth Games 2018: McCormack twins named in England boxing squad". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". GB Boxing. Retrieved 9 October 2019.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Ben Whittaker: Olympic silver medallist signs long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2022.[dead link]
  8. ^ "GB Olympic medallist Whittaker to turn pro". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Caroline Dubois excels in Miranda Reyes battle as Ben Whittaker dazzles again in Khalid Graidia stoppage victory". Sky Sports.
  10. ^ "Ben Whittaker drops and defeats stubborn Leon Willings, showboating his way to dominant victory". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Ben Whittaker looks shocked as he's hit clean by Leon Willings while outrageously showboating during victory". Talksport. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  12. ^ "Ben Whittaker dominates gate-crasher Ezra Arenyeka after receiving headbutt and elbow". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  13. ^ "'Absolutely ludicrous' – Ben Whittaker headbutted by rival after showboating in stunning moment during dominant win". Talksport. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  14. ^ "Boxing: Ben Whittaker fight ends in draw after boxer falls over the ropes". BBC Sport. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Whittaker to fight Cameron in rematch on 20 April". BBC Sport. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  16. ^ "Improved Ben Whittaker ends Liam Cameron saga in the second round". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Ben Whittaker sobs and mocks Liam Cameron's coaches after settling feud". The Independent. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  18. ^ "British Olympian Whittaker signs Matchroom deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Ben Whittaker Ices Benjamin Gavazi In First Round On Matchroom debut". The Ring. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Surgical precision: Ben Whittaker puts Benjamin Gavazi to sleep in Matchroom debut". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  21. ^ "New York beckons for Ben Whittaker after first round blowout of Braian Suarez". boxingscene.com.
  22. ^ "Ben Whittaker knocks out Braian Suarez in first round before announcing US debut on Jaron Ennis and Xander Zayas show". Sky Sports.
  23. ^ "'The Surgeon' Whittaker showboating his way to being Britain's next boxing star". ESPN. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  24. ^ Griffiths, Ellie-Rose (2 August 2023). "Darlaston boxer Ben Whittaker slammed for showboating hits back at accusations". ITV News. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  25. ^ Netherton, Alexander (1 May 2024). "Fighter issues fierce warning over Ben Whittaker's showboating". DAZN. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  26. ^ "Ben Whittaker 'Fooled' The Boxing World". Boxing Social. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  27. ^ Domin, Martin (18 April 2026). "Ben Whittaker explains anime hobby and huge back tattoo". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 April 2026.

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