Ben Whittaker: So long as my mom still likes me I don't care what others think

“As long as my family is proud and all the people around me, that’s all that matters,” smiles the Darlaston light-heavyweight. “In this world there are always split opinions. You can’t please everyone.”

That is undoubtedly true, yet should the next few years pan out as planned Whittaker may well win over the doubters who still believe him to be more style than substance.

Saturday’s meeting with Germany’s Benjamin Gavazi at the NEC for the WBC silver title feels very much the start of a new chapter in a professional career which, through its first 10 fights, has seen Whittaker become one of Britain’s best-known boxers behind the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury without recording many notable wins in the actual ring.

The 28-year-old’s fanbase of four million Instagram followers has been built chiefly through viral highlight reels of that flamboyant, showboating style and ring persona which has proven so divisive.

As one long-time boxing journalist remarked this week, it can sometimes be easy to forget Whittaker is a seriously talented fighter, part of a very exclusive club of British Olympic medal winners.

Now, the focus appears very much on putting the boxer back ahead of the celebrity. As Eddie Hearn, Whittaker’s new promoter, remarked: “This is when it starts to get serious.”

That process for Whittaker, in truth, began more than a year ago in the aftermath of his controversial draw with Liam Cameron in Saudi, a bout which ended abruptly when both fighters went over the top rope.

Whittaker left the arena in a wheelchair but a night which risked turning him into a laughing stock is now considered a valuable “kick up the a***”.

“I needed it,” he said this week.

Outside the ring, Whittaker has remained the humble, softly-spoken lad he’s always been, albeit his clothes are now rather more expensive.

Some of those trappings of fame, he admits now, had become distracting. Somewhere along the way, he lost sight of the dedication required to keep performing where it matters most. 

“I was still living like a kid whereas now, I am an adult and a high-performance athlete,” Whittaker tells the Express & Star.

“It is the little things. My diet probably wasn’t the best but now I have a good nutritionist on board. I’m also going to bed at the right time, instead of playing on the Playstation!

“You have to live your life outside the ring the way you want to be in it. I am doing that now.”

The most significant change came in the corner with switch of trainer to Andy Lee, with Whittaker leaving his self-confessed “comfort zone” of the Black Country and basing himself at the former’s gym in Ireland.

With Lee’s help he exorcised the demons of the first Cameron fight in emphatic fashion by knocking the Yorkshireman out in the second round of their Easter Sunday rematch.

That brutal finish offered perhaps the first real glimpse of Whittaker’s true power since the Tokyo Olympics. Real evidence to justify the hype.

Frustration has come in the time taken to follow it up with Whittaker’s promoter, Boxxer, losing its exclusive broadcast deal with Sky Sports leaving a host of boxers in limbo.

Though Boxxer’s subsequent agreement with the BBC offered the chance to get his name into more households, uncertainty over the number of available shows prompted Whittaker to look elsewhere.

His move to Hearn’s Matchroom promotions was confirmed early last month and in many respects it was a marriage years in the making. So close was Whittaker to signing for Matchroom in 2022 a promotional video was even shot, only for Boxxer to come in at the 11th hour with a financial package too good to turn down.

The announcement of his signing in 2025 saw Whittaker and Hearn recreate the famous “Show me the money” scene from Jerry Maguire and quickly went viral.

Yet while Whittaker’s ability to get social media hits is an obvious attraction, his skill in the ring is what really makes him such a craved commodity. Hearn believes he has the potential to dominate the light-heavyweight division and with Matchroom regularly holding shows in the UK, USA and Saudi, there is every chance to give his career some proper momentum. 

The importance of regular “activity” was referenced by Whittaker, Hearn and Lee more than once this week.

“When I spoke to some people they were like, we are going to start from next year,” says Whittaker. 

“But I wanted to get one more in this year at least because I have only had one fight this year. 

“When I get through this, next year will be busy. Activity is key. It is how you stay sharp and learn things and become more comfortable at the level.”

Hearn is bullish about how quickly Whittaker can move up the gears. An outing in the USA is planned for early next year, while Matchroom believe a world title fight could even be on the cards as early as 12 months from now.

The fighter himself is less committal but clearly eager to get cracking.

“Titles are always there but there is no schedule or certain point I am trying to pin down,” he says. “It is just a case of winning and looking good while doing it. What comes after that will come.”

First, of course, he must get past Gavazi. The 30-year-old is a relative unknown having only once previously fought outside Germany but has won 19 straight fights, including 13 by knockout, since losing on his professional debut in 2018.

Whittaker has threatened to turn his opponent into a “German doner kebab” and during Thursday’s final press conference promised to show “how special I really am”.

That is certainly the expectation, for a boxer who knows now is the time to deliver. 

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