Ben Whittaker had taken to the professional scene like a duck to water since making the switch from the amateur ranks, both impressing inside of the ring but also showing his marketability outside of it. However, his latest display was a major cause for concern, as a questionable injury brought the bout to an early end. Now, Whittaker’s promoter has confirmed.
‘The Surgeon’ had won each of his first eight professional outings and has regularly gone viral on social media for both his showboating and his skills despite the one-sided nature of his fights.,
As such, Whittaker has been deemed as a ‘marmite’ character of British boxing, some appreciating his talent and personality whilst others label him as disrespectful and arrogant.
At the weekend, Whittaker faced his toughest test as he made his Saudi Arabia debut against game countryman Liam Cameron, who had lost an eyebrow-raising split-decision to the well-respected Lyndon Arthur a few months prior.
A fight on this platform was anticipated to be the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Whittaker and Saudi boxing catalyst Turki Al-Alshikh, assumably culminating in eventual world title opportunities for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist.
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However, after finding the expected success in the opening two rounds against Cameron, the ‘Cannonball’ began to take control of he contest and appeared to win rounds three, four and five and was on the verge of pulling off the upset win against the visibly-tired favourite.
Until, Whittaker and Cameron were sent soaring over the top rope and laid out on the canvas in pain – or hope, as some viewers believed.
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Whittaker and his team claimed that he was unable to continue and he left the arena in a wheelchair as the referee read out the controversial scorecards that resulted in a technical-decision draw, much to the disappointment of Cameron.
In the days that have followed, Whittaker has continued to make headlines for punching a hole in the wall at the Kingdom Arena and then proceeding to smash a fan’s phone at the airport.
Now, Ben Shalom has provided an update on the injury of the IBF International light-heavyweight champion, as per Sky Sports.
“Following the unprecedented incident that ended the match on Saturday night, Ben Whittaker is undergoing further assessments on his neck as a previous injury was aggravated by the fall.
“He also experienced an ankle sprain and will begin a rehab process as soon as he is cleared by doctors and is determined to be back in the ring as soon as possible.”
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