Usually, it is the unknown but accomplished underdog who accuses the pampered Olympian of having had an easy ride to the top but this week Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker cast himself in the role of the grizzled veteran as he officially announced his light heavyweight fight with globetrotting Nigerian, Ezra Arenyeka.

The two will meet at Selhurst Park on June 15th on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO cruiserweight title defence against Richard Riakporhe. 

Arenyeka - who has become a familiar face around the Manchester boxing scene in recent years - created his shot by gate-crashing the press conference for Whittaker’s fight with Central Area champion Leon Willings in March and insulting Whittaker in front of the assembled media.

The interaction was manna from heaven for boxing’s band of mobile phone-carrying content seekers and - from nowhere – Arenyeka (12-0, 10 KOs) became a viable opponent for the gifted Whittaker. 

Aranyeka’s ambition can’t be faulted. The 28-year-old has smartly capitalised on boxing’s growing lust for viral moments to jump the queue but, aside from a glossy list of knockouts, there is precious little from the quality of those he’s beaten or in his style to suggest he can trouble Whittaker, who may dance and showboat but can also be a ruthless, nasty operator in the ring. 

He clearly sees the fight as an unnecessary chicane in his career and sounds determined to charge Aranyeka interest on his unpaid dues.

“Watching boxing, I thought you worked your way through the ranks, beat the people you’re supposed to beat and get the belts. In today’s day and age, you walk through them doors, talk and you get a fight. I’ll fight him - good record, good kid - but I’ll make an example to not to start doing that because if I don’t, they’ll all start doing it. I’ll have about 30 of them queuing up,” Whittaker, 7-0 (5 KOs), told Sky Sports.

“Fair play to him. He’s come from Africa and this is his opportunity. He’s fighting for himself and his family and I understand it and appreciate it but for a boxer like me who’s worked from seven years old and worked through the rankings, shall I just throw that out of the window and just start running into press conferences? That’s what I’m gonna show. We do things properly. You go through the ranks and there’s levels for a reason.”

The fight appears to be an exercise in motivation for Whittaker who - despite the showboating facade he chooses to present - is extremely unlikely to overlook Arenyeka.

The 26-year-old is renowned as a ferocious trainer who has spent years rehearsing the off-the-cuff feints and tricks he uses to make his opponents involuntarily offer him openings. 

“The main thing is developing myself as a fighter. It’s just the little things. Going to a weigh in, doing a press conference, getting your hands wrapped. Having opponents talking and coming to fight. Those things hold you in good stead for when you’re in the big fights,” he said.

“Sometimes I forget I’m my own boss if I’m honest. My main job - and why I got here - is hard work. The glitz and the glam, I do that for a reason. The cameras. People like it, people love it, people hate it but the real me is a worker. 24-seven, I work.”