Eddie Hearn Hails Ben Whittaker as a ‘Golden Signing’ — But Can the Olympic Star Handle Boxing’s Pressure Fighters?

Ben Whittaker says he signed with Matchroom because he believes promoter Eddie Hearn can guide him to a world title. Hearn is excited about his signing of the unbeaten light heavyweight contender Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs), who he thinks he can turn into a star.

Hearn’s “Golden Signing”

The 2020 Olympic Silver medalist, Whittaker, 28, is leaving it up to Hearn to get him the right fights at the right time. He feels he’s ready right now to fight for a world title, but he’ll let Hearn decide when, where, and who he faces.

What #9 WBC Whittaker needs is to begin fighting top-tier contenders because he’s been brought along slowly by his former promoters at Boxxer. They’d kept the training wheels on Ben, not throwing him in with anyone notable, and that was surprising for someone with Olympic credentials.

Whittaker’s recent opponents

• Liam Cameron x 2
• Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka
• Leon Willings
• Khalid Graidia

Trusting Hearn’s Roadmap

“I’m at a certain point in my career where I’ve got the platform. I just need the right route, the right fights, and the titles, and he [Eddie Hearn] can do it,” said Ben Whittaker to Matchroom Boxing, discussing why he signed a long-term contract with Hearn.

Hearn seems certain that Whittaker is going to turn out to be golden for Matchroom. At this point, it’s still impossible to know if he’s going to be the fighter he was in the amateur ranks. He had a 55-13 record in the amateurs, but few knockouts. We saw in his first fight against Liam Cameron that he didn’t look comfortable with the pressure that was being put on him.

Learning to Handle Pressure Fighters

At light heavyweight, there are many fighters with a pressure style, but that can pack a lot more power than what Cameron showed against Whittaker. If Ben can’t handle that kind of fighters, he’s not going to turn out to be the “generational” talent that Hearn predicts.

“That’s what I’m here for. I’m 28. I’m still young for the division, and I’ve got the skills. Put them in front of me and I’ll beat them. Eddie Hearn can get me the world titles,” said Whittaker.