Ben Whittaker showboating has caused boxing fans to react
Showboaters are always the most divisive types of fighters and, after his recent performance on the undercard of Dan Azeez versus Joshua Buatsi, Ben Whittaker is the latest to come under the microscope for his flashy behaviour.
There are some standout examples of showboaters who never failed to wind up their opponents, as well as many of the watching public, with their antics. The most famous being Prince Naseem Hamed, who always made spectacular ring entrances and barely stopped dancing and play-acting even when high-level fights were well underway.
The thinking behind such actions for those who do it is that people will tune in one way or another, either to enjoy the action or to see the showboater get knocked out and humbled. Both result in plenty of extra eyeballs for fighters looking to make their mark.
Former Olympic-turned-light heavyweight prospect Whittaker has had just six fights. He has won them all, five by knockout, and despite being very much in the early stage of his career against less-than-challenging opposition, he has not shied away from showboating. His latest win against Khalid Graidia on Saturday saw him act up once more and now the boxing world has reacted.
Trainer Dave Coldwell posted a message on X to say he is unmoved by it.
“Seen it all before. From Naz’ debut and throughout his career.
“Ben has the same divisive type of character. Same taste in showmanship. Time will tell if his potential is realised and he reaches the top too.
“Love or hate, people are going to want to know how far he can go!”
Charlie Edwards acknowledged Whittaker’s talent in response to a video of his antics, “Hate him or love him, the talent he possesses is scary. You say he can only do this against bums. He’s been doing this against elite amateur fighters before he turn’t pro. He takes risks which makes him exciting and talked about positive or negative, he’s a star. As he steps up he will continue to do this and be a very awkward fight for anyone.”
Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer pointed out that one of the punches Whittaker threw while fooling around was not legal, “That backhand punch is illegal and—as it was deliberately thrown—warranted a point deduction.”
Crossover boxer Idris Virgo found it all too much, “Not liking Ben Whittaker’s attitude in this fight. I would love to teach him a lesson.”
Liam Smith focused more on his potential than the playfulness, “Ben Whittaker is always gonna be like marmite, people will love him or hate him, but can’t deny he’s got some ability to go very, very far. If [his] chin is good, he can defo win world titles.”
The real intrigue comes when Whittaker steps up and we get to see whether he keeps up the same level of disdain for much more dangerous opponents, though one American world champion has already come out in support of it, stating, “I’m a fan champ, I love how much fun [you] having wile doing [your] craft.”