Ben Whittaker | Knuckle Up with Mike and Cedric | Talkin Fight

Today Mike and Cedric discuss Benjamin Whittaker, an English amateur boxer who is affiliated with Firewalker ABC. In 2018, he was picked to represent England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Australia’s Gold Coast.

Watch Knuckle Up’s Mike Orr, who always discusses up-and-coming young, hungry, and (usually) undefeated boxers during his live daily show at 4pm EST (9pm UK) on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight

https://talkinfight.com/ben-whittaker-knuckle-up-with-mike-and-cedric-talkin-fight/

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Transcribed:

[, Music, ] hello, boxing fans around the world thanks for joining us once again on knuckle up featuring mike iv and cedric ben, is in the den as well um we got ben whitaker lined up right, uh going to profile his boy.

Yes, yes, we are good.

We’Re going to profile we’re going to profile ben whittaker today, team coming that’s right! Yes, long time coming, let’s uh! Let’S get right into it! I guess, while we’re waiting for cedric uh benjamin whittaker, born the 6th of june 1997 is an english amateur boxer who is affiliated with fireware abc in 2018.

He was picked to represent england in the 2018 comments.

Well, commonwealth games, which took place in australia’s gold coast in 2019.

He was selected to compete at the world championships in russia where he won the bronze medal after losing by unanimous decision in the semi-finals in 2021, at the men’s lightweight category at the 2020 tokyo olympics.

Whitaker won silver medal against arlen lopez, who won gold whitaker tweeted in quotes.

You don’t win silver.

You lose gold, i’m very disappointed.

I feel like a failure distraught from failing short of the gold.

He refused to wear the medal at the ceremony.

However, he vowed he would return to win gold saying i’ll come back.

Trust me.

Whitaker’S passionate reaction drew mixed reactions, but most people were empathetic of whittaker’s reaction.

English, media personality, piers, morgan tweeted, love this.

Finally, an athlete at these olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in the lead sport good for you.

That being said, this kid honestly, you know what he’s a young guy he’s.

One silver uh, you know he’s his footwork is very fancy, and this is all because, as a kid he was in ballet he took play.

He also took ballroom dancing and break dancing uh at a young age, his dad’s side, because you know he suffers from adhd school – really wasn’t the thing they uh put him into boxing.

To kind of you know, get rid of some of that energy.

All that built up energy that he’s got and to learn some discipline.

That being said, he also is literally a role model and spokesperson for these young kids that suffer the same thing.

To show that you know what, if school’s not working out, you can still accomplish uh something, and you can still be great at stuff like at anything really, if you’re not that great at school.

I, like this kid man, he uh his dad boxed tony wilson.

Uh he’s trained uh, his amateur trainer, joby clayton is also his godfather uh.

You know this kid.

He struggled with school because of the adhd, and you know once he uh once he got into this boxing.

To kind of you know, hone that energy and everything and uh it really bit him.

He really really took off and uh.

You know, look what he’s done so far.

He’S used his ballet his fancy, footwork and dancing to really to really develop a style, but a style.

That’S not suited really for the amateurs.

His style is more suited for a pro game.

Uh, you know in the olympics.

He infuriated and frustrated every single one of his opponents, his opponents with his flamboyant, energetic, cocky, arrogant style, which is great.

You know he knows how to play those head games.

He knows how to get in those guys heads, but it’s a style more more geared towards the professionals um.

You know his power, his power.

I have a question mark with it.

It will be interesting to see him uh.

You know plant his feet more in in the pros and uh really start to use that power in the olympics was very elusive.

Um, you know very defensive and uh.

He wasn’t.

He wasn’t really trading too many punches.

He wasn’t really throwing big hands and uh.

You know that’s one of the things that uh a lot of people are talking about is his power when it comes to what he’s going to do in the pros, and if his power is uh, you know if he has it or he’s still developing it.

It’S only time we’ll tell um when he came back from winning this silver medal.

Man uh he he had a wish a wish to wear the regalia of office of mayor of his hometown.

Yes, and he ends up uh, getting the opportunity to wear the regalia of mayor of his hometown and uh.

They actually organized official engagements for him to see over uh when he was in office, which was great honestly.

The kid off off.

You know he’s very humble uh.

You know very down to earth out of the ring in the ring, arrogant, flamboyant love, it showboater real character.

This kid right now has literally the pick the pick of who he wants to sign with he’s got everybody after him.

Right now, uh mayweather hearn, aj they’re, all talking to him.

You know about signing rumors link him, though, to match room and management company 258 founded by aj.

So it’s only time we’ll tell he had to have surgery when he came back from tokyo, rotator, cuff surgery and um he’s planning to fight sometime in march and uh.

He wants us to uh.

You know see his ability when he has two arms and not just one uh.

He did very very well at the olympics.

Uh surprised a lot of people and um.

You know.

I.

I believe that this kid uh is gon na be doing big things.

Man in the future, once he signs pro, especially you know, with rumors being eddie hearn aj management he’s got a lot on his plate.

Uh he met, he met floyd mayweather back in 2017 and flight mayweather told him stop waiting around for the olympics.

Medals collect dust.

You should turn pro now uh, he didn’t do it, he didn’t do it and uh.

You know he took his.

He took that road right to the olympics and uh ended up coming out with with uh.

You know the silver medal.

It’S unfortunate.

He didn’t win gold, but uh.

You know he did put on a good show.

He was outboxed by by his uh opponent.

Can’T win them all this kid’s gon na do big things.

Man start watching out for him.

You heard it here.

Man, team gb member, benjamin whittaker before he turns pro he wants to decide.

He wants to decide what weight uh is he gon na? Is he gon na go pro at light heavy? Is he gon na come in a super middle? It’S all a matter of time.

Uh, you know, and and and what his team is going to uh you know, discuss it’d, be nice to see him come into the super middle or the light heavy, but as a light heavy man with this uh with his dancing background man, he he definitely has Footwork he’s got he’s, got the elusiveness he’s got the defense uh.

He just needs to punch more man and uh.

He needs to show us some power.

You know he’s got it he’s going to be fighting on that back foot.

A little more he’s got to be pressing uh, you know he’s still young, though he’s still young, and you know maybe that old man strength hasn’t hit him yet, but that was one of the things that you know he was being criticized for was his uh.

His soft touch combinations uh.

You know after after this wonderful defense that he displayed cedric you care to add your two cents about uh, a butterman here, benjamin whitaker.

Yes, yes, great boxer um.

He won a gold medal at the light heavyweight division at the 2021 or 2020 olympics silver.

Oh sorry, sorry, yes, yes, yes, yes, um, silver, because i was watching the semi-final match right before we came on um and and the guy.

The reason why that’s fresh in my memory, because the guy that he fought in the semi-final from russia was um, was a tough competitor and who i believe when we at the time when we were discussing the knockout of the week, he was, i believe, one of The runner ups for the like for for the knockout of the week from what he did to his opponent as this previous opponent in the round before and then so.

I thought it was very interesting when he fought ben whittaker who again and if you and we were just thought – you were just questioning his power right if he has enough power to to to to keep guys off him at the pro level.

Well, that was his first test right there because, like i said that that strong russian was stopped like was, i completely stopped both of the guys.

His previous opponents and ben whittaker showed a long um educated jab, not just flicking it out there, but you know throwing it out there at the right time at full extension and uh.

Keeping that opponent there and the gold medal match was very interesting because he fought a a very experienced cuban.

Like that whole cuban national team, like i said, they’re, basically like a professional amateurs with that, was it with as much experience as they had and um.

So he got he won.

Whitaker lost in that gold medal, but, like you, can just see that the the slightly more experienced level uh lopez, i believe his name – was from cuba, who moved up in weight class to show you how good these guys are like.

I’M pretty sure the whole cuban team, they all moved up in weight classes from the last olympics and still all won one gold medals.

So anyways whitaker i’m very excited to see his his pro career um because, as i say all the time when you’re going from amateur to pro, you know for offense.

You need an educated, jab and and just in general defense to make sure because there’s no head gear, the gloves are smaller and you’re.

Fighting uh grown men and grown women.

I got ta make sure yeah um he does, he does have.

He does show advanced level movement and punch selection, uh, it’s just it’s just that whole.

You know he was very soft touch with his combinations uh.

You know he does have that elusiveness, it’s whether or not uh.

The power comes into question, and you know only time will tell also he was injured.

You know he’s had that rotator cuff surgery, after coming back from the olympics.

That may be one of the reasons why we didn’t get to see the power.

Only time will tell uh, rumors are matchroom and 258 are going to be uh.

You know guiding him through his career, so he hasn’t officially signed with anybody.

Yet no, no, he hasn’t officially signed yet uh he’s he’s still trying to finalize whether or not he wants to come in at light heavy or super middle, and you know what my hat’s off too man he’s got.

He’S got everybody knocking down the door wanting to sign this kid man.

You know aj mayweather, eddie, hearn yeah.

I was about to say that that’s probably, why he’s hesitating? You know he might uh, and i know i know our boys from the last bell would love this if he signed with it with an american promotion.

That’D be very interesting if you signed with like pvc or you know, showtime or something like that um.

He also.

He also raps he’s got an instagram handle uh benzo uh he’s a rapper uh him and his friends started this group.

He uses it as an escape when boxing becomes too much so he uses as an outlet uh.

You know to calm down, relax and uh get himself back into the swing of things.

It’S great that he has an outlet.

It’S great, you know the kid took, ballet man, you know and and he he he’s quotes.

You know he was.

He was worried about his friends, seeing him while wearing these tights on his way to his ballet.

But you know what man it don’t matter.

It’S paid off for a big time.

You know the kid’s got great footwork he’s got great elusiveness yeah that elusiveness that all comes from that same background man.

You know he played soccer.

He rode horses he’s athletic all around.

I can’t wait to see his style in the pros, infuriating and frustrating all these new guys to you know like it’s gon na be great man.

He’S got he’s, got a great style, a great personality to uh.

You know to to frustrate people and get inside people’s heads.

Man he’s got that part of the game down.

I know he hasn’t officially signed with anybody, but is there um? Has he done any interviews with any uh like possibility, saying any possibilities we might see? Rumors rumors say that uh he’s linked to matchroom and uh.

He’S he’s going to be managed by 258, which is uh aj’s company, so him and anthony joshua are friends uh.

They talk all the time uh, you know, anthony joshua loves his kind of you know his style his way of boxing uh.

It’S not it’s very team, gb unorthodox kind of style of boxing and joshua likes it and you know they’ve stayed in close contact and you know rumors are that he’s going to be managed by 258, and you know that he’s being linked to metro, so he hasn’t Announced yet i haven’t found it yet, but as soon as we do find out, we will let everybody know.

That’S for sure.

I can’t wait to see this kid uh.

You know 100 health.

You know rotator, cuff surgery.

He says he was fighting one-armed in the olympics.

Let’S see what he does in the pros with two: if he’s done this much so far, it is what it is and honestly he got a lot of flack for that whole not wearing his medal at the ceremony and all that uh, you know, he’s he’s redeemed Himself, but you got to understand the frustration of somebody who’s trained so much so you know sacrifice so much to get there and to lose it at that last stage you know and and not just lose it it was.

It was close.

It couldn’t win either way.

It could have went either way depending on how it was scored.

I’M sorry, i know you went through it already, but what was the story behind it? Why did he he felt like a failure? He felt, like you know it’s.

Let’S.

Second police.

First, loser yeah in his defense, i believe, i’m 900 sure, but for for some of the gold medal matches they had the like.

They had the ceremonies like right after the match happened.

So i mean if that was the case there.

You know his emotions are still high off of of you know, like literally as soon as the match is done like within, like two minutes they’re already starting the ceremony.

So, like you know, so it’s not even 10 minutes has gone by since he since he stepped out the ring.

So those emotions are still running high, so i can understand you know at that moment he’s like.

I don’t want this.

This garbage second place sitting like obviously now you know months later, you wakes up and realize you’re.

You know, there’s only one person in this entire planet that can say that that they’re better than you at you know at the moment.

So that’s something you can still be still be proud of right, so right, right, yeah.

But you know what he’s uh he’s he’s he’s redeemed himself man, he uh.

He.

He enjoys the whole experience that the olympics gave to him.

He appreciates the medal, you know, but it’s it’s it’s just you know it’s got ta suck.

I understand where he’s coming from.

He wanted that gold he’s not gon na feel he’s not gon na feel whole until he’s wearing championship belts around his waist.

That’S just the kind of work ethic and the dedication that this kid has so guys be on the lookout for benjamin whitaker he’s signing soon i’ll.

Let you know when it happens, i’ll, let you know when the first fight is going to happen.

His debut you’re not going to want to miss it man you’re going to want to watch him.

100 health man shoulder all fixed, and then we get to see him in the pro you know in the paid ranks man and we get to watch him.

Uh frustrate the hell out of somebody else.

It’S gon na be great, but fans thanks for tuning in you know what it is.

Man knuckle up before mike gore and cedric dan in the van and thanks graeme, for sticking around for this wonderful, wonderful profile of uh.

This up-and-coming prospect, benjamin whittaker, you heard it here mike garfur on knuckle up, don’t forget.

Tomorrow we got hannah bagley in the house, not gon na want to miss that join us.

For that wonderful live interview with her and again friday, hannah rankin.

You heard it here, we’ll see you tomorrow same time same channel