Ben Whittaker – Has the Hype Bubble Burst After Cameron ‘Quit’ Fiasco?
As the fifth round of the Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron fight enters its final throes, a freak incident derailed the fight.
Cameron leans forward in the clinch and both fighters topple over the ropes. It was a scene more at home in a WWE wrestling match than a boxing bout. After a few seconds, it becomes clear this isn’t just a fleeting moment of the fight – it’s the end of it.
But should it have been?
Both fighters are down, but Cameron gets back up and is ready to start again. He waits… then waits some more. Whittaker, now in the corner, is surrounded by his team and the medics. He’s complaining about his ankle.
A few moments later, the ref waves off the fight and it goes to the scorecards. Long story short, it’s a draw.
You’ve got to really feel for Liam Cameron here. He was the toughest test Ben Whittaker has faced, and you can’t help but feel Whittaker knew it. He was looking for a way out – a way to keep the brand alive and the Ben Whittaker hype train moving. A loss for a showboating fighter at this stage of career would have been devastating.
When you watch the replay, it’s difficult to see exactly how Whittaker has hurt his ankle. They take a tumble, but his feet don’t seem to be involved. If he’d gotten up and complained of a shoulder issue, you’d understand it more. Ankle? Tougher job convincing us.
The Response Has Been Damning
Social media is littered with comments of “quitter”, “no heart”, “bottler” and the like. The boxing fraternity has had their say too. Whittaker’s opponent in the fight, Liam Cameron said…
“He had nothing left. Kid was knackered from round two. I definitely beat him. I don’t get a fair share [in fights]. What more do I have to do?
“Never had a promotional deal in my life and I tried my best to win that today and I think I deserved the win.”
“I want either a rematch or something better. Ben deserves the rematch.”
On Sky Sports, former Cruiserweight world champion and current boxing pundit Johnny Nelson said…
“Now, I’m a massive fan of Ben Whittaker. I’ve sang his praises constantly, but he needs to watch the replay before he says anything to anybody about what the injury is.
“We’ve looked at it time and time again and we’ve not seen that right ankle hit anything. We thought it was his back. There needs to be some explanation around it.
“It looks like he was trying to find a way out and I feel bad saying that.”
What’s Next?
Like it or not, Ben Whittaker has caused huge damage to his reputation, and his brand. The fans will be calling for the rematch, and after that display Liam Cameron will be confident he can get the win. The man from Sheffield was seen as a huge underdog before the fight, but Whittaker found out there was a big step up in levels compared to his previous opponents.
If Ben Whittaker avoids taking the Liam Cameron fight in the near future, he’ll never shake off the ‘quitter’ tag. He’s essentially got to go in there and get a decisive win against Cameron if he wants to continue his march to the top. At the moment, there’s a question mark over him.
Ben Whittaker has built himself a reputation as a showboater, and the UK public love seeing a cocky fighter getting humbled. What’s worse in this case wasn’t just the fact that Whittaker was arguably behind in the fight – he also brought the fight to an early end with a questionable injury. Questions will remain about his heart, his stamina and his mentality. They’re tags that are hard to shake off.
If Ben Whittaker wants to rehabilitate his name, he’s got to get back into the ring with Liam Cameron. There’s no way he can move on without addressing the elephant in the room. Cameron deserves the rematch, and Whittaker has questions to answer. The Sheffield fighter is calling for it, so let’s see how this story pans out.
What’s certain is that Liam Cameron will have won himself a lot of fans after that display.
