Promoter Eddie Hearn says he might allow Ben Whittaker to \u201ctake a gamble\u201d and fight Joshua Buatsi in the WBC-ordered light heavyweight eliminator.<\/p>\n
WBC Forces Hearn\u2019s Hand<\/p>\n
Hearn isn\u2019t sure if Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) should fight Buatsi yet. He says it\u2019s \u201csooner than we expected.\u201d The WBC ordered it because Whittaker captured their Silver 175-lb title with his first-round knockout win over Benjamin Gavazi on November 29th.<\/p>\n
Whittaker\u2019s 29-ish \u2014 Prospect Era Is Over<\/p>\n
Hearn doesn\u2019t say how long he plans to continue developing the 2020 Olympic silver medalist, Whittaker. He\u2019s about to turn 29, which puts him at the same age as Hearn\u2019s other fighter, Conor Benn, who he\u2019s looking to use to take the place of the aging past his best Anthony Joshua.<\/p>\n
Hearn needs someone to take over as his flagship fighter for his Matchroom company. With Whittaker, it\u2019s questionable whether he can win and hold world titles. We know we can beat domestic-level fighters and second-tier guys. He showed that against the unranked, lower-level fighters, Liam Cameron and Gavazi.<\/p>\n
The way Whittaker looked in his first fight against Cameron, and how he fell apart in the 2020 Olympics against Arlen Lopez, suggests that he\u2019s not capable of winning world titles against any of the existing champions.<\/p>\n
The Big Four Still Unmentioned<\/p>\n
Whittaker doesn\u2019t look good enough to defeat contenders David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Arlen Lopez, or Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Interestingly, Hearn never mentions those fighters when he talks about the \u201cthree levels\u201d of fighters that Whittaker must go through. He mentions vulnerable British fighters, but doesn\u2019t include The Big Four: Morrell, Khataev, Lopez, and Gvozdyk.<\/p>\n
Design Flaws Everywhere<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a red flag for Hearn likely to maneuver Ben around them, treating them like a rocky obstacle that he\u2019s steering the barely seaworthy Whittaker around. Right now, Ben has too many design flaws and is too defective to be put in with the top contenders. If you Whittaker in the ocean right now, he\u2019ll sink without a complete overhaul.<\/p>\n
At Whittaker\u2019s advanced age, it might be possible. When a fighter is 30, they\u2019re as good as they\u2019ll ever be. You\u2019re not going to see significant improvements to put them on a level that they were never designed to operate at.<\/p>\n
\u201cContractually, we know he\u2019s fighting in America in the spring, but sooner or later, you\u2019re going to be in those fights,\u201d said promoter Eddie Hearn to the Stomping Grounds<\/a> about Ben Whittaker being ordered to fight Joshua Buatsi for a WBC 175-lb title eliminator.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s kind of three levels. Bivol, Beterbiev, Benavidez, Callum, Yarde, Buatsi, and then Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson. So, you want to go through those levels,\u201d said Hearn, hinting that he\u2019s not going to risk it by putting Whittaker in with Buatsi.<\/p>\n Domestic Route Option<\/p>\n If Hearn is going to have Whittaker burn through the next two years, fighting British-level fighters like Azeez, Richards, Parker, and Hutchinson in hopes of improving him, he\u2019s wasting his time. He\u2019s just going to get older, not better.<\/p>\n It looks to Robert Segal like Hearn is going to stall for time with Whittaker. Match him against lower-tier British fighters like those above, and wait out the aging Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to either retire or get old enough that Whittaker can beat them.<\/p>\n The Unmentionables: Morrell, Khataev, Arlen<\/p>\n In the case of David Benavidez, stalling for time could result in him leaving the division to move up to cruiserweight. Once he\u2019s gone, that\u2019s one less fighter Hearn has to worry about exposing Whittaker as a flawed fighter. The only ones Hearn would have to worry about are Morrell, Khataev, and Arlen. He\u2019s already treating them like they don\u2019t exist. So logic tells you that they\u2019ll continue to be the unmentionables.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we take that fight [Buatsi for Whittaker], it\u2019s sooner than we expected, but after that fight in America, maybe we just do it,\u201d said Hearn. \u201cIt\u2019s a brilliant fight, and it\u2019s a fight I think Ben wins. Do you want to be 100% ready for those fights, or do you want to take a gamble? We don\u2019t really need to take a gamble with the size of Ben Whittaker.\u201d<\/p>\n I can\u2019t wait to see who Hearn picks out for Whittaker\u2019s next fight in America. This should be fun. Who does he dig up to make Ben look like 24k gold? I\u2019m predicting it now, Minnesota resident David Morrell won\u2019t get the pick.<\/p>\n