Benjamin Whittaker’s long-awaited United States debut could soon be on the horizon.
Since the unbeaten British boxer signed terms with Matchroom in October, it became increasingly clear that the Brentwood-based promotional company wanted to showcase his skills outside of England and, specifically, in the US.
“I think with Eddie [Hearn] and Matchroom Boxing, I will become even more of a household name and one day become a world champion,” Whittaker said in a statement sent to Boxing Social at the time.
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith called Whittaker a “future legend of British boxing,” and Hearn described the Olympic silver medalist as a “phenomenal” fighter who they were looking forward to developing into “a household name.”
Whittaker boxed under the Matchroom banner for the first time in November when he finished Benjamin Gavazi in the first-round to pick up a lightly-regarded title at 175 pounds.
And now his second fight for Hearn could feature prominently on one of the biggest shows of the year, if Whittaker has his say, that is.
“The hard work is paying off,” Whittaker told The Ring.
“It’s only right to fight in the U.S. soon and make my name. It’s only up from here.”
The Ring then speculated that he’d be one of the ideal candidates to compete on the main card of an event headlined by Matchroom stablemate Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who appears increasingly closer to booking a mega-bout with Golden Boy’s Vergil Ortiz.
DAZN captured one of the most cinematic moments in its history when Ennis stormed the ring shortly after Ortiz had drilled Erickson Lubin in a stand-out performance from the surging super welterweight.
But politics, promotional rivalries, and a lawsuit suggested the fight was farther from reality than it appeared late, last year. That was, until, Ring reported earlier this week that the 154 pounders are “almost set” for an April super fight.
If Whittaker were to compete on the card then he’ll soon be returning to camp, if not training already, to introduce himself for the first time of his career as a professional fighter and a showman.