BIRMINGHAM, England – Ben Whittaker believes he is not far away from facing David Benavidez at the top of the light heavyweight division.
First Whittaker, 9-0-1 (6 KOs), will take on Germany’s Benjamin Gavazi for the WBC silver title, with a win likely to elevate him into the top five with the governing body, and one step closer to current champion Benavidez.
The Mexican-American defended his WBC belt last Saturday (November 22) against Anthony Yarde in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Benavidez was too much for Yarde, who struggled to deal with Benavidez’s power and pressure, with the referee calling a halt to the contest after seven one-sided rounds.
“It was a good fight, fair play to Anthony Yarde for taking the fight but, man, it was a bit of a beatdown,” Whittaker told BoxingScene. “But like I said, not many people are jumping up to that level and asking for those fights, fair play to Yarde. He's done it three times now against three of the hardest if anything, so you've got to give him his respect, his dues, but I think there was a big gap in levels in there.”
Whittaker is one of the UK’s – and maybe the sport’s – rapidly growing stars, and after Benavidez’s beat down on Yarde, and Joshua Buatsi’s lackluster showing against Zach Parker last month, could be considered a favorite going against his domestic rivals. The 28 year old Whittaker was asked for his thoughts on a future contest against Yarde after his defeat.
“Maybe so, maybe so, there could be a passing of the torch fight, something like that,” he replied. “I'm 28, I think he's like 34, something like that, so who knows how many fights he's got left, but if timelines align, I think that would be a good one to do. But I'm sure people want to see him in with Buatsi and stuff like that. After a tough fight like that, how much has he got left? But it's down to him really where he wants to go, and it's down to me where I want to go.”
Whittaker is rarely found short on confidence when talking of fights against the big names in the division, and that continued when talk turned to Benavidez, whom he is pushing towards with the WBC.
He was asked how far off he is from challenging the 31-0 (25 KOs) Benavidez and replied: “Not far at all really, skill-wise I'm there now, but it's experience that I need, but I've said it on someone else's thing, on [Carl] Froch's interview, [Benavidez] actually mentioned me. He [was asked], ‘Who's a dream fight you would like?’ And he said, ‘Ben Whittaker at Wembley,’ so if you've got the champion mentioning you, it shows you're doing something right. Even he said, ‘He's got the skills, he just needs experience,’ and that's exactly what I plan to do, is get that experience.”
No one has found an answer for the Mexican-American’s intense pressure, with even then-undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez being accused of avoiding Benavidez on multiple occasions. Whittaker, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, however, is quietly confident, and believes Benavidez’s style is nothing new to him.
“Yeah I'd say that's my bread and butter if I'm honest,” said Whittaker of Benavidez. “A lot of people see me; tall, lanky, rushing. I've fought that sort of style since I was seven years old. That is the style that I do like, of course it's relentless, of course it's intense, but it's kind of the style that I like.”
