Benjamin Whittaker
Benjamin Whittaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ben Whittaker in 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 June 1997 Darlaston, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Light-heavyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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.
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
- ^ Also designated as the 2019 men's European Championships
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Benjamin Whittaker". BoxRec.
- ^ "Benjamin Whittaker - England Boxing Team". Commonwealth Games England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games 2018: McCormack twins named in England boxing squad". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". GB Boxing. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ 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. https://t.co/32RKabmDx5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ben Whittaker: Olympic silver medallist signs long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "GB Olympic medallist Whittaker to turn pro". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
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- 1997 births
- Living people
- English male boxers
- Sportspeople from West Bromwich
- Boxers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for England
- Boxers at the 2019 European Games
- European Games medalists in boxing
- European Games silver medalists for Great Britain
- AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- Boxers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Olympic boxers of Great Britain
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
- Olympic medalists in boxing
- British boxing biography stubs