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Nick Parkinson
Ben Whittaker will face Benjamin Gavazi of Germany in his first fight since signing a deal with Matchroom, but Eddie Hearn revealed to ESPN it nearly happened three years ago.
Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) will headline a show in his home town of Birmingham on Nov. 29.
It will be the Olympic silver medalist’s first fight under Hearn’s Matchroom banner after turning professional with rival U.K.-based promoters Boxxer in 2022.
But Hearn said the 6-foot-3 English boxer, who has 3.5 million social media followers, was on the brink of turning professional with Matchroom in 2022.
“People don’t know that we agreed a deal with Ben Whittaker when he turned professional,” Hearn told ESPN.
“We set up a great promo shoot with him and filmed the whole thing with him while we were just finalising the final few bits of the contract. Then Boxxer came in with a sack load of money and gazumped us on the line, when we had already filmed the promo. I have never known anything like this.
“He is a phenomenal signing for us. For two or three years we had to watch him carry on his career. I have seen his following and even my kids when I tell them we have signed him they knew all about him.
“He’s better than people think he is, he just needs to believe in himself and be active. I think he can win the world light heavyweight world championship and if he goes that far he’s going to be massive.”
Light heavyweight Whittaker, 28, last boxed in April when he stopped English rival Liam Cameron in two rounds following a technical draw against Cameron a year ago, when the fight was stopped after Whittaker was injured falling out of the ring.