Whittaker pure class in crushing title win
Whittaker unloads on Cameron last night. Pic: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer
LISTENING to the crescendo of boos that followed Ben Whittaker’s comprehensive victory over Liam Cameron, the controversial light-heavyweight’s marketing strategy finally hit home.
The West Bromwich boxer bathed in the barracking and expletives that rained down from the cheap seats at Resorts World’s BP Pulse Live Arena.
To an extent, Whittaker even fuelled them by making a bee-line to Cameron’s corner after his super second round victory and firing a verbal salvo at one of the team.
There was an accusation of spitting, vehemently denied by Whittaker. "You had everyone boo me, they portray me as a bad guy,” he told Sky Sports. “At the end of the day I work very hard.
"I was roaring like a lion, if a little bit of dribble came out then a little bit of dribble came out. But at the end of the day Jesus is king.
"It was just the emotion, I was like, 'yeah, come on!' If a bit of dribble came out… He knows I'd never do something like that.”
It was an unnecessary controversy following a clinical, controlled performance by Whittaker – a blow-out that silenced the doubters.
Brash and glistening bravado, he has learned there’s appeal in being a pantomime villain, I believe. And he plays the bad guy with more ability than most.
A gospel choir provided the soulful soundtrack to his ring entrance. He and his team wore ring attire that proclaimed, “Jesus Is King”.
The former Olympic silver medallist has decided the Good Lord does not consider swagger and showmanship a sin. His God understands the “schtick” makes sound business sense.
And Whittaker’s “schtick” is the same as that successfully pedalled by a young Cassius Clay. The heavyweight great watched wrestler Gorgeous George whip an audience into a frenzy of baying anger through peacock preening, posturing and play-acting - and made a business decision.
A lot of people had paid a lot of money to see Gorgeous George put in his place. In combat sport, love from the public is nice, lolly is better.
An awful lot of people paid an awful lot of money to see Whittaker put in his place last night. Cameron enjoyed the lion’s share of support – and I spoke to many fight fans who weren’t from his home city of Sheffield. They simply wanted to see Whittaker knocked off his pedestal.
They would be disappointed and the decibels of that disappointment made the arena near judder.
Whittaker makes his grand entrance on Boxxer’s super-show
Whittaker, defending his IBF international title, boxed superbly, spearing Cameron with jabs before gracefully slipping a wild swing and nailing the challenger with a concussive right hand in the second.
Cameron (12st 6lbs) had his moments – each swipe greeted by roars, but he was the bull being led a merry dance by a fleet-footed matador.
That one right brought the curtain down on the main-event. Badly hurt, Cameron lurched into the ropes, was subjected to a barrage of punches before another big right sent shockwaves through his limp body.
Some felt referee Howard Foster’s intervention at one minute 53 seconds was premature. It wasn’t: Cameron was hurt, copping big shots and not firing back. He was done.
In victory, Whittaker (12st 7lbs) scrubbed clean the only stain on his now 10 fight CV.
Ben left the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, in a wheelchair last October after he and Cameron tumbled dramatically over the ropes in the fifth.
The 27-year-old escaped with his unbeaten record intact, the bout being declared a technical draw. But, make no mistake, Whittaker was under the cosh when the unsatisfactory ending came.
He was never under the cosh during the sell-out return.
After victory, Whittaker said: “A lot of people had a lot of things to say about me, was posting a lot about me.
"There was just so much coming out. It wasn't really beating him, it was beating myself."
"You saw my emotions after. I thought I could stop him. It was the emotion I've gone through. A lot of people had a lot to say. That was the hardest part, getting back in there after what happened (in the first fight).
"I'm just human, anything can happen, the one good thing I kind of like is, not a lot of people would have probably taken the rematch straightaway, but I knew I could do that to him. I knew I could do that to him. So I wanted to show it straight away, I didn't want to be one of these fighters that (think), let me get an easy fight, get back in there.
"A lot of people could have taken a different fight, but I wanted him to prove to myself I am that guy.
"The build-up, I was lot more quiet this time because I knew the work I've done. I thought, 'let him talk, let him talk', and he talked his way into a beating, sadly."
Whittaker added: "When I hit him with that shot, even he said he's never been hit like that before. I saw his legs go. Everyone was saying calm down, but I just saw it. I saw it. I said he's not getting away now. And I just let them go.
"I thought 'I've hit him in the right spot'. I could just see his whole face go and I thought 'it's now, it's now."
Too many have dismissed Whittaker as a dandy. Last night he threw a stick of dynamite at that description.