BEN WHITTAKER VS LIAM CAMERON - WHAT NEXT?
Amidst the drama of Saturday night in Riyadh, one of the major talking points from the Kingdom Arena was the controversial draw between Olympic silver medalist Ben Whittaker and former Commonwealth middleweight champion Liam Cameron.
Whittaker entered the fight as a heavy favorite, with the vast majority expecting him to handle Cameron fairly comfortably. However, it turned out to be a much harder night’s work than anticipated for one of Boxxer’s main stars.
As Cameron worked his way into the fight, controversy struck at the end of the fifth round. Both fighters fell out of the ring, and Whittaker sustained an injury that forced the fight to go to the judges' scorecards. The 2020 Olympian was then taken to the hospital to have his ankle assessed.
The controversy deepened as many began questioning the legitimacy of Whittaker’s injury.
In the days since, social media has become a cesspool of abuse aimed at Whittaker.
Whether he "bottled it" or not, he is still human. Yes, some might describe him as a polarizing figure, both inside and outside the ring, with his flamboyant style and eagerness to entertain. But this is a fighter who has dedicated his entire life to the sport.
A man who came within touching distance of an Olympic gold medal—only to be denied by one of the greatest amateur boxers of this era—Whittaker deserves more respect. The level of disrespect he has received over the past few days is utterly disgraceful and a stain on the sport of boxing.
This is a man who will likely become a world champion one day and a star of the sport. Don’t turn your back on him after one questionable performance. Instead, get behind him and enjoy the journey, rather than seizing every opportunity to tear him down.
Meanwhile, Liam Cameron deserves immense praise. After a four-year absence from the sport due to a ban, he’s gotten himself into arguably the best physical condition of his life, and more importantly, he’s mentally stronger than ever.
Many expected Whittaker to handle Cameron in classic "Benzo" fashion on Saturday night, but Cameron didn’t follow that script.
Cameron is a fighter who is quietly becoming one of the brightest lights in British boxing, with an inspiring comeback story. And as the saying goes, everyone loves an underdog, don’t they?
Before the fight, a rematch may not have been on many people’s minds. But now, you could argue it’s one of the biggest potential rematches in British boxing.
Cameron has made it clear over the past few days that he wants the rematch, and knowing Whittaker’s competitive nature, he’ll likely want to prove his doubters wrong once he’s fully recovered.
Either way, the rematch will have everything. The build-up will be electric, and with the bad blood between them growing more intense by the day, it will most definitely live up to expectations inside the ring.