Ben Whittaker and Benjamin Gavazi successfully weighed in today at Friday’s weigh-ins ahead of Saturday’s fight.
2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KO) enters his 10-round fight against Gavazi (19-1, 13 KO) under pressure. The stake of this fight will be the vacant WBC Silver airy heavyweight title.
This is his Matchroom debut and promoter Eddie Hearn has already described him as a “generational” talent and a future “superstar”.
Weights
Ben Whittaker 174.8 pounds vs. Benjamin Gavazi 174.5 pounds
Saturday’s Whittaker-Gavazi event will be broadcast live on DAZN. The main card starts at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT. Ring circumnavigation will occur at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.
– I look good, don’t I? Whittaker said confidently on stage. “Trust me, it’s strenuous to look this good. But I’ve worked strenuous in Ireland and I feel good. We know that time will come when I come to Matchroom. Now it’s time to put on a show.”
There are many question marks surrounding 28-year-old Whittaker after he featured in their first fight against Liam Cameron a year ago. He bowed to pressure from Liam, who is a British national level player, not world class.
Hearn expects Whittaker to win the world title within five fights. The 175-pound division is already packed with solid fighters, making it arduous for Ben to realize Hearn’s dreams. With the right matchmaking, Hearn could turn him into a money fighter even without him winning a world title. That’s what he did with Conor Benn and made millions without winning a world title. Whittaker has the perfect cocky, villain-esque personality to be this type of fighter.
“It’s good energy [from Benjamin Gavazi] – and this is the energy you need. He is here and ready to fight. He’s not an idiot, but I’ll come and show you why I’m a surgeon. I’m a perfectionist – I’ll break it,” Whittaker said.
BIRMINGHAM FIGHT NIGHT: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Qualifiers: live on DAZN at 5 p.m
Aflie Middlemiss (129.9 lbs) vs. Engel Gomez (132.9 lbs) Super featherweight competition 6 x 3 minutes
Zelfa Barrett (136.65 pounds) vs. Liam Dillon (137.95 pounds) 8 rounds of 3 minutes Lightweight competition
Ibraheem Sulaimaan (129.5 pounds) vs. Nico Ogbeide (129 pounds) 10 rounds of 3 minutes Midlands Area super featherweight
Main card: Live on DAZN at 7 p.m
Molly McCann (121.95 pounds) vs. Ebonie Cotton (120.95 pounds) Super bantamweight competition 6 x 2 minutes
Aaron Bowen (159 pounds) vs. Tom Cowling (159.9 pounds) 10 3-minute rounds of Midlands Area Middleweight Title
Cameron Vuong (134.85 pounds) vs. Gavin Gwynne 134.5 pounds WBO intercontinental lightweight title 10 x 3 minutes
Ben Whittaker (174.8 pounds) vs. Benjamin Gavazi (174.5 pounds) 10 3-minute rounds Silver WBC airy heavyweight title
Keyshawn Davis says he still doesn’t know why a fight never broke out with Devin Haney after talks between both camps earlier this year.
Davis was talking about Haney after he dominated Nahir Albright for 12 rounds on Saturday night in Norfolk. Although Keyshawn won a wide unanimous decision over Albright, he later admitted that he had been in bigger fights before the rematch was finalized.
“I went up to Bill in January and he told me to keep my word after the fight,” Keyshawn later told the media. “Why it didn’t happen, I don’t know.”
Davis also revealed that he tried to secure fights with Lamont Roach Jr. and Oscar Duarte before returning to fight Albright.
“I was on the phone with Lamont Roach trying to make this happen,” Davis said. “I also tried to contact Oscar Duarte.”
The Norfolk native made it clear after the fight that he viewed a rematch with Albright as an inferior option compared to the opponents he originally wanted.
“I wanted to fight a better opponent,” Davis said. “He’s actually a decent player. He’s just not at the highest level.”
Davis dominated most of the rematch despite a two-point deduction after Albright hit the clinch in the seventh round. He controlled the action with faster hands, cleaner combinations and stronger work towards the end of the fight.
After the victory, Davis reiterated that he is open to more fights with bigger names.
“Whoever wants to fight the businessman, let them do it,” Davis said.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Filip Hrgovic made it basic for Dave Allen and took advantage of the moments after the fight to send a chilling message to rising star Moses Itauma.
Doncaster fans were unable to lift hometown hero Allen to the level of Hrgovic, who dominated from the opening bell until coach Jamie Moore threw in the towel to spare his players another day.
Croatian Hrgovic quickly apologized to the fans in the stadium.
“I’m sorry guys. I know I’m not the favorite guy here. That’s the way it is, that’s boxing. Thank you to Dave Allen, his team, Queensberry and DAZN for this event. I’m pushing forward to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
“I started quickly because I saw all my punches connecting. He was very awkward from the beginning, so I wanted to finish him quickly to make a statement.”
“I want to fight anyone in the division. Moses, anyone. I just have to sit down with the manager and the team, see if there are any injuries or cuts. Give me a mirror, I’ll sign a contract now… I never run away from any opponent… Listen, if I’m fit, there’s no problem for me. We have to see what’s going on. I need to rest. Moses will never make it to the promised land. Do you know what I mean?”
Promoter George Warren has made it clear that Itauma-Hrgovic is the target, but he is aware that the next few days will be crucial to see if the schedule is right for the Croatian, who had a miniature cut on his skin before going to the towel.
“Yes, we can… This fight is already here. Finished. Filip, when he re-signed with Queensberry, was left on the contract on the basis that this fight was one of the options we could offer him. As he said, he has a slight scratch in his eye and he needs to go and make sure everything is OK.
“Moses is booked for August. As soon as we get back to the office next week, that’s my job. To finish and announce this fight. This guy is a world-class operator and if Moses wants to be world champion, Filip wants to be world champion; they’re going to have to deal with it at some point, so let’s deal with it now.”
Welterweight Kelvin Davis (16-1, 8 KO) escaped with a split decision victory over Peter Dobson (17-4, 10 KO) after a hard-fought 10-round fight that drew noisy boos from the crowd after the result was announced. The judges scored it 99-91 and 97-93 for Davis, while the third judge scored it 98-92 for Dobson.
Davis boxed effectively early on, using his jab, foot movement and reach to keep Dobson out and gain the advantage in the early rounds. Dobson had difficulty getting close enough to land consistently in the first half of the fight as Davis remained disciplined and chose areas with cleaner strikes.
Dobson had more success in the second half of the fight, getting inside and landing to the body. As the action became increasingly brutal and physical, Davis spent more time on the ropes and in clinches.
Dobson’s aggression and work in the middle helped put an end to the fight, and a few delayed rounds proved challenging to score. Davis continued to land enough pointed counters and straight shots to convince the two judges that he had done enough to secure the victory.
Many fans online and in the arena reacted negatively to the decision, especially due to the wide score of 99-91 in favor of Davis. Several unofficial scorecards indicated that the fight was much closer together, and some viewers felt that Dobson did enough to force a draw or provide an advantage in the decision.
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