Benjamin Whittaker

Benjamin G. Whittaker (born 6 June 1997)[2] is an English professional boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

For other people with similar names, see Benjamin Whitaker (disambiguation).
Benjamin Whittaker
Ben Whittaker in 2021
Statistics
Weight(s)Light-heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Born (1997-06-06) 6 June 1997
Darlaston, England
Boxing record[1]
Total fights2
Wins2
Wins by KO1
Medal record
Men's Amateur boxing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo Light-heavyweight
European Games
2019 Minsk[lower-alpha 1]Light-heavyweight
Representing  England
World Championships
2019 YekaterinburgLight-heavyweight
EU Championships
2018 ValladolidLight-heavyweight

Amateur career

In 2018, he was picked to represent England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Australia's Gold Coast.[3]

In 2019, he was selected to compete at the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia,[4] where he won the bronze medal after losing by unanimous decision to Dilshodbek Ruzmetov in the semi-finals.[5]

In 2021, at the men's light-heavyweight category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Whittaker won the silver medal against Arlen Lopez, who won gold.

Whittaker tweeted, "You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure."

Distraught from falling short of gold, he refused to wear the medal at the ceremony; however, he vowed he would return to win gold, saying: "I'll come back, trust me."

Whittaker's passionate reaction drew mixed reactions, but most people were empathetic of Whittaker's reaction. English media personality Piers Morgan tweeted: "Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker".[6]

Professional career

In 2022 he signed a professional deal with Boxxer, training with SugarHill Steward.[7][8]

Professional boxing record
2 fights 2 wins 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
By decision 1 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
2 Win 2–0 Petar Nosic UD 6 20 Aug 2022 Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
1 Win 1–0 Greg O'Neil KO 2 (6) 0:21 30 Jul 2022 Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England

Notes
  1. Also designated as the 2019 men's European Championships

References
  1. "Boxing record for Benjamin Whittaker". BoxRec.
  2. "Benjamin Whittaker - England Boxing Team". Commonwealth Games England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. "Commonwealth Games 2018: McCormack twins named in England boxing squad". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". boxing247.com. East Side Boxing. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  5. "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". GB Boxing. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  6. Morgan, Piers [@piersmorgan] (4 August 2021). "'You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure. You're in this game to win gold.' Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker. t.co/32RKabmDx5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  7. "Ben Whittaker: Olympic silver medallist signs long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  8. "GB Olympic medallist Whittaker to turn pro". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2022.


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