Ben Whittaker discovers that playing around with an overmatched opponent can be dangerous
Ben Whittaker had been warned. The All-Time Great, Terence Crawford, took the young British prospect aside and told him he was a good fighter, but that he "shouldn't play with his food." By that, he meant that Whittaker needed to quit messing around and get down to business in the ring.
Ben would have been wise to heed Crawford's words. On Saturday, his love of showboating almost cost him the fight against Ireland's Conor Wallace. That would have effectively ended all talk about him challenging for world titles.
Whittaker is a showman who reminds some people of Naseem Hamed. His comical antics rile up a lot of fans because they believe he's demeaning his opponents. They say he only does it because he's being fed "low-grade" opposition, and that similar conduct at a higher level would be ruthlessly punished.
Whittaker persists with the showboating because he knows it gets attention. He is a talented fighter for sure, an Olympian no less, but we wouldn't be talking nearly as much about him if he cut out all the fancy moves.
Whittaker though, is not Naseem Hamed, and he never will be. He doesn't have the Sheffield legend's withering power, nor his fighting instincts. Naz was a fancy Dan for sure, but he knew how to get inside and let his hands go when the time was right.
Whittaker was faced with a befuddled, cut and weakened opponent in Conor Wallace, but he didn't move in to close the show. He just wanted to pot shot from the outside and then gyrate his hips and chat with the ringside commentary team.
He was letting Conor off the hook. He seemed to lack the killer instinct that great boxers have. He also doesn't seem to have the tools to stay in the pocket and rip in punches. Whittaker can improve, and I'm sure he will, but I fear he'll never develop the kind of raw fighting skills that the top fighters have.
Whittaker completely controlled the pace of the fight and was landing most of the punches. It was therefore alarming to watch his stamina and reflexes abandon him. Whittaker has, unsurprisingly, played down his frailties. At the post-fight press conference, he reminded everyone that he had only lost two of the 12 rounds.
That may be the case, but it does not tell the story of the fight. Whittaker failed to capitalise on his dominance and was hit squarely on the chin and seriously hurt in the latter stages. He should thank the referee for not awarding at least one knockdown to Conor in the final round.
As he has shown before, against Liam Cameron fight in 2024, when Ben is rattled and hurt, he starts falling over in the ring. It's a tactic that buys him time. Against Cameron that night, he fell right out of the ring, and saved his unbeaten record with a draw.
I should end by giving credit to Conor Wallace, who, unlike Whittaker, never lost his composure, and maintained his self-belief till the end.
If they do have the rematch that's being discussed, I expect Whittaker to be more respectful of the job in hand, and win more conclusively. But the gaps in his fighting make-up mean it's unlikely he'll ever be world champion.
