WBC Orders Whittaker vs Buatsi — Will Hearn Really Take the Gamble?

Promoter Eddie Hearn says he might allow Ben Whittaker to “take a gamble” and fight Joshua Buatsi in the WBC-ordered light heavyweight eliminator.

WBC Forces Hearn’s Hand

Hearn isn’t sure if Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) should fight Buatsi yet. He says it’s “sooner than we expected.” The WBC ordered it because Whittaker captured their Silver 175-lb title with his first-round knockout win over Benjamin Gavazi on November 29th.

Whittaker’s 29-ish — Prospect Era Is Over

Hearn doesn’t say how long he plans to continue developing the 2020 Olympic silver medalist, Whittaker. He’s about to turn 29, which puts him at the same age as Hearn’s other fighter, Conor Benn, who he’s looking to use to take the place of the aging past his best Anthony Joshua.

Hearn needs someone to take over as his flagship fighter for his Matchroom company. With Whittaker, it’s questionable whether he can win and hold world titles. We know we can beat domestic-level fighters and second-tier guys. He showed that against the unranked, lower-level fighters, Liam Cameron and Gavazi.

The way Whittaker looked in his first fight against Cameron, and how he fell apart in the 2020 Olympics against Arlen Lopez, suggests that he’s not capable of winning world titles against any of the existing champions.

The Big Four Still Unmentioned

Whittaker doesn’t look good enough to defeat contenders David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Arlen Lopez, or Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Interestingly, Hearn never mentions those fighters when he talks about the “three levels” of fighters that Whittaker must go through. He mentions vulnerable British fighters, but doesn’t include The Big Four: Morrell, Khataev, Lopez, and Gvozdyk.

Design Flaws Everywhere

That’s a red flag for Hearn likely to maneuver Ben around them, treating them like a rocky obstacle that he’s steering the barely seaworthy Whittaker around. Right now, Ben has too many design flaws and is too defective to be put in with the top contenders. If you Whittaker in the ocean right now, he’ll sink without a complete overhaul.

At Whittaker’s advanced age, it might be possible. When a fighter is 30, they’re as good as they’ll ever be. You’re not going to see significant improvements to put them on a level that they were never designed to operate at.

“Contractually, we know he’s fighting in America in the spring, but sooner or later, you’re going to be in those fights,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to the Stomping Grounds about Ben Whittaker being ordered to fight Joshua Buatsi for a WBC 175-lb title eliminator.

“There’s kind of three levels. Bivol, Beterbiev, Benavidez, Callum, Yarde, Buatsi, and then Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson. So, you want to go through those levels,” said Hearn, hinting that he’s not going to risk it by putting Whittaker in with Buatsi.

Domestic Route Option

If Hearn is going to have Whittaker burn through the next two years, fighting British-level fighters like Azeez, Richards, Parker, and Hutchinson in hopes of improving him, he’s wasting his time. He’s just going to get older, not better.

It looks to Robert Segal like Hearn is going to stall for time with Whittaker. Match him against lower-tier British fighters like those above, and wait out the aging Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to either retire or get old enough that Whittaker can beat them.

The Unmentionables: Morrell, Khataev, Arlen

In the case of David Benavidez, stalling for time could result in him leaving the division to move up to cruiserweight. Once he’s gone, that’s one less fighter Hearn has to worry about exposing Whittaker as a flawed fighter. The only ones Hearn would have to worry about are Morrell, Khataev, and Arlen. He’s already treating them like they don’t exist. So logic tells you that they’ll continue to be the unmentionables.

“If we take that fight [Buatsi for Whittaker], it’s sooner than we expected, but after that fight in America, maybe we just do it,” said Hearn. “It’s a brilliant fight, and it’s a fight I think Ben wins. Do you want to be 100% ready for those fights, or do you want to take a gamble? We don’t really need to take a gamble with the size of Ben Whittaker.”

I can’t wait to see who Hearn picks out for Whittaker’s next fight in America. This should be fun. Who does he dig up to make Ben look like 24k gold? I’m predicting it now, Minnesota resident David Morrell won’t get the pick.

“We saw the numbers on DAZN and across social. They were huge,” said Hearn about Whittaker’s ratings numbers for his debut with Matchroom against Benjamin Gavazi. “So, we got one of the biggest stars in British boxing. Right now, Ben Whittaker and Conor Benn sway from Joshua and Tyson Fury; they’re the biggest stars by a mile.”