Ben Whittaker back on Buatsi-Stepien Birmingham card
A European championship clash, a revenge rematch and the return to the ring of one of British boxing’s all-time hottest talents were among the bouts confirmed today for the BOXXER: BIRMINGHAM undercard taking place at the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham on Saturday, May 6th and airing live on Sky Sports.
BOXXER’s blockbuster Birmingham card is headlined by recent signing Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13 KO’s) making his eagerly-anticipated BOXXER debut. Ranked #1 in the WBA contender rankings, Buatsi is preparing to go on a world title run in 2023. He faces Pawel Stepien (18-0-1, 12 KO’s) in the headline bout and looks to end his Polish rival’s undefeated record in emphatic fashion as he kicks off his conquest for a world title.
BOXXER also revealed today that a major landmark match will be announced for the card later this week, ensuring the event’s immediate prominent placement in the boxing history books on the same day King Charles III is crowned.
Whittaker vs Grant
Generational prodigy Ben Whittaker (2-0, 1 KO’s) returns to the ring following an enforced injury layoff which has seen him sidelined since August last year. The brilliant 2020 Olympics silver medallist has already captured fans’ hearts and imaginations with his stunning skills, entertaining showboating style and inhuman reflexes – now the Midlands man is aiming to return to the ring with a bang in Birmingham.
For his third outing as a professional light-heavyweight, he faces Jordan ‘The Game’ Grant (6-3, 1 KO) who brings triple Whittaker’s professional experience to the ring and has a well-deserved reputation for unbelievable toughness thanks to such feats as going the distance and winning a unanimous decision despite breaking his right hand in the first minute of a fight.
“I’m back in the ring. My camp is going the way it should and I’m ticking all the boxes. Now it’s time to get some momentum going and that starts on May 6 against Jordan Grant in my home city of Birmingham,” said Whittaker.
Benjamin vs McComb
European gold is on the line for Birmingham’s own Kaisee Benjamin (16-2-1, 6 KO’s) as he heads a veritable battalion of Birmingham’s top boxing talent confirmed for the May 6th card. Having won fans across the country in his thrilling November super-lightweight title tilt against Dalton Smith, Benjamin will take a crack at the WBO European super-lightweight championship held by Ireland’s Sean McComb (15-1, 5 KO’s) in what will undoubtedly be an all-action encounter from bell to bell.
Gibbs vs First
And Birmingham’s Cori Gibbs (17-1, 3 KO’s) is out for revenge when he faces Jimmy First in an immediate rematch of their December encounter.
That fight ended with the previously-undefeated lightweight Gibbs losing a decision due to having three points deducted across the course of the bout as a faulty new gumshield kept falling from his mouth.
On home soil – and with a properly-fitted mouthguard clamped firmly between his teeth – Gibbs is out to set the record straight in show-stopping style and put the freak technical loss behind him as he continues his climb up the rankings.
Pitters vs McIntyre
Former British light-heavyweight champion Shakan Pitters (17-2, 6 KO’s) faces former English champion Joel McIntyre (20-6, 5 KO’s), with both fighters looking for a win to return themselves to the contender conversation.
Denny vs McGowan
And current British middleweight champion Tyler Denny (16-2-3), competing in his native Birmingham for the first time since 2019 in a non-title match against Natasha Jonas stablemate Macauley McGowan (17-3-2, 3 KO’s), who came away with a controversial draw decision in Paris last month after seemingly clearly bested the home fighter over eight rounds.
Ben Shalom
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said, “This will be BOXXER’s first event in Birmingham and we wanted to stack the card for our first visit to Britain’s second city, so we’re delighted with this line-up.
"Ben Whittaker has been tipped for greatness by every boxing insider I’ve spoken to and we’re delighted to see him return to action and start rebuilding the momentum last year’s injury cost him.
"Kaisee Benjamin is taking a big step up in his crack at the European title and you can only imagine how heated Cori Gibbs will be as he heads into the ring to avenge that freak loss he suffered in December.
"On top of that we’ve got Joshua Buatsi making his BOXXER debut as he kicks off his world title campaign and we’ve got something extra special to announce later this week which I’m very proud for BOXXER to be part of and which will literally change the sport in this country.”
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