If Shak wins, then a fight with Whittaker makes perfect sense

Face off…Pitters (left) and Dos Santos with Izzy Asif. Pic: GBM

THE countdown for Shakan Pitters’ European light-heavyweight title challenge has begun.

And if Birmingham’s elegant former British champion emerges victorious on February 7, he believes a clash with Wolverhampton’s former Olympic medallist Ben Whittaker makes perfect “business sense”.

He’d also be in a prime position to face the world’s big names in big fights for big money.

Not that the 35-year-old, a skyscraper of a light-heavy at 6ft 6ins tall, is looking past defending EBU champ Daniel Dos Santos from France. The pair meet on GBM’s “New Dawn” show at Sheffield’s Canon Medical Arena.

The 34-year-old “Panther” has lost only one of 23, scored 10 stoppages and is a special forces soldier.

But I believe it is a winnable fight for Pitters, who has  two defeats in 21 contests. British fans may remember Joshua Buatsi dominating and demolishing Dos Santos in four rounds in 2021

Once his hand is raised, Shakan – a professional model away from the ring – can dream of Wolverhampton’s Whittaker.

He told promoters GBM: "We've sparred many times and, as a Midlands fighter, I want Ben to be doing very well.  I'm happy he's getting all the limelight he deserves because he's a good fighter, he's put in the work.

“I'm heading for a European title so that's where all my energy and focus is, but if it makes business sense and that's a fight that fans want to see or it has to happen, then all day long, no one's going to shy away from it. It would be good to have a belt on the line as well." 

But first comes Dos Santos and Pitters’ focus is solely on that 12 rounder.

He said: “The EBU light-heavyweight championship is a big title, so I’m excited for this fight. It’s a big deal being able to say you’re the champion of Europe - the next stage is world level. At the same time, I don’t let that distract me. All my focus is on winning this fight and beating Daniel Dos Santos, I’m not looking past anyone.

“Dos Santos is good. You have to be good to win a European championship and you have to be putting in the work, so that speaks for itself. His only loss is to (Olympic medallist and world title contender) Joshua Buatsi. He’s got a good level, but I know what I am capable of and you’ll see that on the night.

If he wins, veteran Shakan, a product of Eastside gym, can look forward to an Indian summer in the sport. He will have crashed the world rankings.

He added: “For me, next it’s about getting this European title first and foremost. After that we will look at the next step. Izzy (Asif, GBM promoter) and my team are already working on that and obviously we have high ambitions. I know Izzy has been working on things and in 2025 we are planning to be out there in a big way.

“For me, the targets are whoever has got the titles, that’s it. I am not about naming names - if you’ve got a belt that I want, that automatically makes you a target. Right now, all my focus is on Daniel Dos Santos on February 7 and taking that European light-heavyweight championship off him.”

*Tickets for “GBM: A New Dawn” are on sale now. The event airs live and exclusively worldwide on the DAZN network on Friday, February 7.