Promoter Eddie Hearn says he could let Ben Whittaker “take a chance” and fight Joshua Buatsi in a WBC-ordered featherlight heavyweight eliminator.
WBC forces Hearn’s hand
Hearn is not yet sure whether Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KO) should fight Buatsi yet. He says yes “sooner than we expected.” The WBC ordered the event because Whittaker won the silver 175-pound title on November 29 with a first-round knockout victory over Benjamin Gavazi.
Whittaker’s 29-year-old – The era of prospects is over
Hearn is not saying how long he plans to continue working on 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker. He will soon turn 29, which puts him at the same age as Hearn’s other player, Conor Benn, who he wants to replace his aging star Anthony Joshua.
Hearn needs someone to take over as his flagship player at Matchroom. In Whittaker’s case, it is questionable whether he will be able to win and retain world titles. We know we can beat players from the national league and players from the second league. He showed this against unranked lower tier players Liam Cameron and Gavazi.
The way Whittaker looked in his first fight with Cameron and the way he broke down in the 2020 Olympics against Arlen Lopez suggests he is incapable of winning world titles against any of the existing champions.
The Substantial Four still unnamed
Whittaker doesn’t look good enough to beat title challengers David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Arlen Lopez or Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Interestingly, Hearn never mentions these players when he talks about the “three tiers” of players that Whittaker has to go through. Mentions defenseless British fighters, but does not include The, the Substantial Four: Morrell, Khataev, Lopez and Gvozdyk.
Design errors everywhere
This is a red flag for Hearn, who is probably maneuvering Ben around them, treating them like a rocky obstacle that he controls barely seaworthy Whittaker nearby. At this point, the Ben has too many design flaws and is too flawed to be placed among the top competitors. If you throw the Whittaker into the ocean now, it will sink without a complete overhaul.
At Whittaker’s advanced age, this would have been possible. When a player is 30 years vintage, he is as good as he has ever been. You won’t see significant improvements that would take them to a level they were never designed for.
“According to the contract, we know he will fight in America in the spring, but sooner or later you will be involved in these fights,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Stomping areas how Ben Whittaker was ordered to fight Joshua Buatsi for a WBC 175-pound title eliminator.
“There are three tiers. Bivol, Beterbiev, Benavidez, Callum, Yarde, Buatsi and then Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson. So you want to get through those tiers,” Hearn said, making it clear he would not take a risk by putting Whittaker in Buatsi.
National route option
If Hearn is going to burn Whittaker for the next two years, fighting British level fighters like Azeez, Richards, Parker and Hutchinson in the hope of improving him, he is wasting his time. He will simply be older, not better.
Robert Segal thinks Hearn will want to play for time with Whittaker. Compare him to lower-tier British fighters like those above, and wait until the aging Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev either retire or mature enough for Whittaker to beat them.
Uncredited: Morrell, Khataev, Arlen
In the case of David Benavidez, playing for time may result in him leaving the division and moving to cruiserweight. Once he’s gone, Hearn will have to worry about Whittaker’s flaws. The only people Hearn will have to worry about are Morrell, Khataev and Arlen. He already treats them as if they don’t exist. Logic suggests that these will still be people who cannot be mentioned.
If we take this fight [Buatsi for Whittaker]”, it’s sooner than we expected, but after this fight in America, maybe we’ll just do it,” Hearn said. “It’s a great fight and I think Ben will win it. Do you want to be 100% ready for these fights or do you want to take a risk? We really don’t have to take a risk with Ben Whittaker’s greatness.
I can’t wait to see who Hearn chooses for Whittaker’s next fight in America. This should be fun. Who is he digging to make Ben look like 24k gold? I’m already predicting that Minnesotan David Morrell will not be elected.
“We saw the numbers on DAZN and on social media. They were huge,” Hearn said of Whittaker’s viewing figures for his Matchroom debut against Benjamin Gavazi. “So we have one of the biggest stars in British boxing. At the moment Ben Whittaker and Conor Benn are behind Joshua and Tyson Fury; they are the biggest stars by a mile.”
Robert Segal was a key voice in Boxing News 24providing fight news, previews and analysis with direct access to insider information. Covering sports for over a decade, his work focuses on champions, challengers and emerging talent around the world. Known for his acute in-ring perspective, Robert brings fans closer to the action with straightforward, educated reporting.
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