Boxing
Ben Whittaker dreams of world fame, but he knows he can’t please everyone
Published
10 months agoon
Ben Whittaker is excited about the future.
It’s strange to call your Saturday fight with Benjamin Gavazi (19-1, 13 KO) in Birmingham [10. p.m. GMT, DAZN] as the beginning of His second coming, but it has that impression.
You can see the anticipation in his eyes as he addresses a petite group of writers before returning to the ring, discussing all things Matchroom, his move to Ireland and the emotions of the last 12 months.
Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KO) is skillful, skillful, articulate and controversial.
The 28-year-old’s performances in the ring may confuse some people, but he attracts attention. He accepted that he couldn’t please everyone, especially in boxing, so why try?
No wonder Eddie Hearn, Olympic silver medalist and natural showman, pushed to sign Whittaker after the Tokyo Games but gave up when he settled on Boxxer and Ben Shalom’s Sky Sports. Speedy forward to October this year, Boxxer and Sky Sports went their separate ways, with Hearn finally finding his man and Whittaker signing with Matchroom.
Now the promos are over – their parody of the Jerry Maguire skit with Whittaker shouting “show me the money!” Hearn’s phone call went viral – it’s time to win fights.
“Activity,” Whittaker replies when asked about the selling price of his modern promoter. “I may have 3-4 fights next year, whereas my last promoter only had four fights he could do, so approximately when can I get there? It’s probably two fights for me, one headliner and one undercard. The position I’m in right now is not what I need.”
“I’m not a diva, I don’t mind being on the undercard or anywhere else as long as I can keep myself lively.”
Hearn has already hinted that he will take Whittaker to the United States early next year. His confidence and flashy style are probably better suited to American audiences. Whittaker says he loves fighting at home and insists British fans are “the best in the world”, but it’s not just the UK and US that are on the radar.
He thinks globally.
“I have a lot of stick here [UK]but I love it,” says Whittaker. “I have a good fan base in the US… Oddly enough, some of my biggest fans are Japan and Brazil. Eddie can take me to these weird places you would never get to.
It’s no wonder Whittaker is keen to move on after a tumultuous year.
He was heavily ridiculed following his draw with Liam Cameron in October 2024, when he was injured after falling off the ropes, leaving him unable to continue. He won the rematch by second-round knockout in April, but has not fought since. It was an emotional moment. Whittaker was criticized for the way he celebrated, but coach Andy Lee was quick to defend his player.
“Nobody can underestimate what this man has been through since his first fight,” Lee said.
“Mentally, the barrage of insults, the fact that he’s still standing there, not many could handle what he’s been through. He’s a champion. I’m not going to spend time with someone who isn’t worth it. This guy is the best person you’ll ever spend time with.”
It was enthusiastic support for an often misunderstood player from one of the best and most respected coaches in the sport. Saturday will be their second fight together and both are hopeful that their relationship will bring titles.
Whittaker is not antique, he is 28 years antique, but he knows he must take action soon if he is to fight for the lithe heavyweight titles, where there are gigantic opportunities waiting for him both at home and abroad.
Second coming or not, Whittaker watches games whether you like it or not.
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Boxing
Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
Published
9 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.
He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026
Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.
That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.
Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.
Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.
The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
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Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
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