Matt Maher: Ben Whittaker with Matchroom should be fun but fights matter most

It is why this week’s news of Whittaker switching promoters and signing with Matchroom, together with the promises made by its chairman Eddie Hearn of a busy upcoming schedule for the Darlaston fighter, came as a relief to many.

In almost three-and-a-half years in the paid ranks, Whittaker has become a big name outside the ring but made questionable progress in it for a boxer of such considerable capabilities.

A couple of injuries, one of which kept him out for more than six months, did not help but there was also scrutiny, some of it justified, concerning the quality of several opponents. 

Then there have been the delays, six months between the controversial first meeting in Saudi Arabia (which many still believe Whittaker lost) and the re-match.

The latest hold-up can be put down to the struggles of Boxxer, the promotions company Whittaker opted to sign with instead of Matchroom in 2022, in large part because of the lucrative contract they were able to offer thanks to their exclusive deal with Sky Sports.

When Sky opted not to renew that deal earlier this year, it freed Whittaker up to make a move and he has now gone to Matchroom and Hearn.

Neither man is ever short of a word and the link-up promises to be entertaining, with this week’s unveiling video, featuring a parody of the film Jerry Maguire, merely for starters.

Of greatest importance, however, is the actual boxing. It was encouraging to hear Hearn and Matchroom chief executive, Frank Smith, speak of their intention for Whittaker to fight four times before the end of next year. There is talk of him headlining a show in Birmingham next month. Good, he needs to get moving.

Whittaker joins fellow Black Country fighters Conah Walker and Hamza Uddin on a Matchroom roster which also includes Birmingham prospect Ibraheem Sulaimaan.

Scope, hopefully, for a few more big shows and opportunities round this way for all.