WATCH: Ben Whittaker returns to the ring with his iconic showboating and extends undefeated record
Ben Whittaker brawls with Leon Willings for eight rounds and displays his infamous showboating.
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Ben Whittaker vs Leon Willings (image credit- Marca, Sky Sports)
Ben ‘The Surgeon’ Whittaker vs. Leon Willings was potentially Whittaker’s toughest battle so far as a professional boxer. The Olympic silver medalist boxer was on a four-knockout win streak, but this fight went the full distance. As such, Whittaker won after the judges scored the fight 78-73 in his favor. Typically, Whittaker’s unusual and unique fighting style catches his opponents off guard. However, this was not the case with this fight since Willings’ impressive defense proved to be quite resilient.
In the first round, Whittaker started the fight with his fast-paced, fluid punches. Willings was not able to counterpunch, which led him against the ropes. This allowed Ben Whittaker to show off his skills inside the ring, as he performed his infamous showboating. Subsequently, Willings continued to defend Whittaker’s punches and gradually seemed more comfortable inside the ring. The Surgeon continued his onslaught of attacks in the second and third round.
In the third round, Whittaker even hilariously responded to Willings’ cornermen, who were screaming. Furthermore, he slipped and countered Willing’s punches and continued to showboat. However, in the fourth round, Willings was able to land quite a few solid shots on him. After this, The Surgeon appeared laser-focused in the fifth round and again began to pressure Willings against the ropes.
Whittaker displayed his impressive striking abilities, but Willings’ defense was commendable. In the seventh round, Willings caught Whittaker with a few punches but ended up slipping and having a knockdown. Both fighters went at it till the end, and Willing’s resilient defense and pressure inside the ring were reasons why Whittaker was not able to showboat significantly after the third round.
Whitaker hints at becoming a free agent
It still takes a while for several boxing fans to adjust to Whittaker’s unconventional fighting style. Popularly known as ‘The Drunken Master’ style, Whittaker tends to perform antics in between blows. As such, the referee has occasionally become upset with him for his peculiar behavior in the ring.
In addition, former flyweight champion Sunny Edwards has taken offense at the boxing commentator’s remarks about Whittaker in his fight against Willings. They had stated that fans had come to witness Whittaker’s flashy performance but were engaged in an intense fight. Subsequently, they also questioned his fighting prowess and stated that he does not have power but is skilled.
Edwards fired back at them because the home panel was criticizing their own Olympic boxer with a 7-0, 5KO record. Furthermore, Edwards stated that Whittaker might be a free agent soon. The Surgeon retweeted this with a cryptic message, which was a clock emoji. Hence, Whittaker might potentially leave his promotional company, Boxxer.
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Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)