Ben Whittaker responds to showboating criticism ahead of Liam Cameron rematch

Ben Whittaker won’t ditch the showboating but he believes being baptised again has reinvigorated him after becoming tired of playing up to his character.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist returns to the ring this weekend when he faces Liam Cameron in a rematch of their controversial clash last year. The bout ended in Saudi Arabia when both fighters went over the top rope and crashed onto the floor below. Whittaker, 26, was taken away in a wheelchair when he claimed he couldn’t continue and the bout was ruled a technical draw on the scorecards.

It led to accusations that the British star looked for a way out in what was turning into a tougher fight that many had imagined. He was mocked online, sneered at by Cameron and this Sunday at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham there will be an Easter Sunday cracker between the pair.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Whittaker has changed up his training team by going to Dublin to work with Irish coach and former champion Andy Lee and has tried to ignore the taunts. But it was religion that has helped him refocus after mum Karen took him to church again. "I’ve always been a Christian and believed in God but because I had more time and my mum was going to church, I decided to go,” he said. “I was a born-again Christian, I got baptised.

“It was a good, emotional experience. It’s a big commitment really. I was training Monday to Friday, I had Saturday and Sunday off so I would go to church on Sunday. I was doing that ever since the fight. Even now when I’m in camp in Dublin, I’m on the online church on Sunday.

“It keeps me grounded. You find your purpose, you find your why and connect with people from different backgrounds. I’m still Ben Whittaker, the flashy and flamboyant person but I’m the true Ben as well. I know I don’t need to be the loudest in the room and let my do the talking.

“At the end of the day, I’m a very good boxer, I’m an Olympic silver medallist, all the other medals I’ve won as well.” Whittaker, who has won eight of his nine pro fights, insists he was drained playing up to the persona he had crafted himself since he made his way into the paid ranks.

“My character is flamboyant and as a pro you know that is the character to sell,” he said. “Sometimes it is draining, you have to go here and there to do media and it takes a lot of time and energy. With the time away, I’ve been able to work on my boxing and craft. I’ve been the old Ben from before the Olympics.”

Cameron has his own story of redemption after his return from a UK Anti-Doping ban for cocaine use to become a fighter pushing young challengers at light-heavyweight like Whittaker. The brash West Midlands man will have to be much better than their first fight to ensure there’s no slip up and that was one of the reasons he has brought in Lee.

But there won’t be no removal of the showboating which has angered some in the past. “That will always be there,” he said. “Even in the amateurs I did it. That’s just my style. “People will hate it but Andy likes it, it’s unique. That’s still there but we have more strings to the bow now.”

And for those who criticised him? “It’s one of those things,” he added. “Sadly boxing especially you will always get criticism. “Outside opinions don’t really matter to me. It doesn’t bother me too much. If I win they will all be back on the bandwagon and booing and cooing. I’d rather that happened now in my career than later down the line. I’ve seen people change that I didn’t think would and people that have stayed when they didn’t need to. It was a good eye opener.

“It was a freak accident. Really it was a fight I should have won, moved on and not looked back. Off the back of it, Liam is going to be getting paid good, we are both headlining. It’s a talked about fight that shouldn’t be talked about.” Whittaker will hope to have the final word this time. If he doesn't then his potential to be a star in the pro ranks will be seriously questioned.