Light heavyweight Ben Whittaker made short work of Braian Suarez tonight, knocking the Argentine out inside the first round at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool broadcast live on DAZN.
Whittaker (11-0-1, 8 KOs) looked switched on from the opening, looking to land overhand rights and working behind a snappy jab. The usual showboating came out of the Englishman at the halfway point of the round, lauding the crowd after moving quickly out of the way from a Suarez left hand. Whittaker quickly got back to work, putting together a good combination that ended with a left hook.
The two tussled a little going into the final 60 seconds, but Whittaker worked Suarez off with a shot to the body. Whittaker’s instinct kicked in to dig in some more good shots to the body, then coming upstairs to land a straight right to the top of Suarez’s head, sending him crumbling to the canvas.
Suarez (21-5, 20 KOs) touched the back of his head to motion a foul, then rolled around helplessly on the floor to hand Whittaker the knockout victory at 2:24.
The Olympic silver medalist in his second fight with Matchroom, came in as a late headliner to replace Callum Smith vs Davis Morrell. Whittaker took his last minute slot as the main attraction in his stride, however boxing fans will be expecting him to step up the level of opposition in his next fight.
“To take somebody out like that in the first round, it just shows where I am at,” Whittaker told DAZN immediately after the fight.
When asked, what is next? Whittaker responded: “That was a step up. For me, they can all call me out, but they are calling me out for a reason. The more I get in this ring, the more experience I get, the more I get comfortable in this ring, it’s dangerous for them. Eddie [Hearn] has got a tough task and has to monitor me the right way. That’s why I joined Matchroom, to make that happen.”
