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Eddie Hearn bets big on Ben Whittaker — But is British boxing’s next star ready?
There’s been a clear shift to the future from Eddie Hearn over the last few months as the landscape of British boxing continues to change.
The veteran promoter is no longer the newcomer in the sport when pinning his company's hopes on the likes of Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell in 2012.
He has enjoyed and endured several cycles in boxing as Matchroom boss and his latest roll of the dice is Ben Whittaker.
Now a professional for three years, Whittaker has yet to get anywhere near the heights enjoyed by the likes of Joshua or Amir Khan. Fighters who emerged from their Olympic window fully backed by their nation due to their heroics against the odds versus the world’s best amateur boxers.
In 2021, a year after the 2020 Olympics were postponed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Whittaker became Britain’s best boxing hope for a short period. His run to the final displayed the very best of him as he showed guts, heart, and a ton of skill to eventually secure a silver medal after losing to the magnificent Cuban, Arlen Lopez.
Focusing on the professional side of the sport in the immediate aftermath of the Tokyo games, Whittaker appeared to be a certainty to emulate Joshua and Khan, but there should be a warning when signing Olympians - success is not always guaranteed.
In 2001 the BBC, now back in the sport after a two-decade exodus, pinned their boxing hopes on Audley Harrison after the London heavyweight won gold in Sydney.
A 10-fight deal worth a reported million pound was intended to make Harrison the heir to Lennox Lewis’ throne. Four years later Harrison had not moved past British level and the BBC’s initial gamble had been a complete disaster.
Over in America, promoters fought for the signatures of Jeff Lacy, Ricardo Williams, and Francisco Bojado, but it was Top Rank who ignored all the noise and instead made a play for Miguel Cotto, who was eliminated in the early stages.
The aforementioned names eventually found their ceiling whilst Cotto went on to become one of the biggest draws in the game.
Even in 2012, the marquee Olympics for British boxing as London was the location for many fighters to push and become household names including Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. One name you may not remember is Fred Evans, the Welsh silver medallist who cut his pro career short to instead work as a builder.
Hearn, Whittaker, and British boxing in general need Whittaker to be the former.
Guided by Boxxer to begin with, Whittaker’s progress appeared to be slow as he was not moved with the frequency that you often see with newcomers to the sport.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Once upon a time, Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe are prime examples, fighters would compete on a monthly, sometimes twice monthly basis as they crafted their ledgers in rapid time and made sure they were visible immediately after scoring an impressive knockout.
After winning his second fight against Petar Nosic in August 2022, Whittaker would go nine months before fight three after recovering from a shoulder injury.
2023 saw him fight three times and he would have four bouts in 2024 including his controversial draw with Liam Cameron. So far in 2025, Whittaker has stopped Cameron in two rounds in a rematch and that is it.
Saturday night against Benjamin Gavazi has to be a major reset for the Wolverhampton man, but good things can still happen.
Dangerous threats await Whittaker
Under Hearn, the promotion of Whittaker has already moved to another level as the pair took part in a parody sketch based on the Jerry Maguire movie.
The skit was well received and although items like that can make Whittaker a talking point, he will become a bigger focus of conversation if the performances inside the ring do not justify the hype.
In a recent interview with Hearn, the dangers at light-heavyweight were explained to me and navigating a path to a world title in the current climate is going to be lengthy and arduous if Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, and David Benavidez stick around.
Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde have already found out how difficult it is to become world champion at 175lbs, and the same dangerous threats await Whittaker.
For now, Hearn is likely to challenge himself on making Whittaker a star attraction across the country starting in Birmingham this weekend live and exclusive on DAZN, but hopefully taking the show on the road next year.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
A lot has already been invested in Whittaker and there are rumours that Saturday will have the feel of a grand show with a lavish ringwalk planned ahead of battle.
At light-heavyweight in Britain, Hearn is spoilt for choice selecting opponents equipped with the attributes to make Whittaker look a million dollars. 2026 could be a lesson in matchmaking as Whittaker moves to erase the doubt that shadows his potential due to the draw with Cameron next year.
Hearn has had it easy in promoting Joshua, but he worked as hard as anyone to make the likes of Carl Froch and Tony Bellew PPV attractions when they did not have the same Olympic platform as the Watford superstar.
Whittaker probably falls somewhere in between, but if he is to be headlining stadiums for world titles two years from now, then looking impressive against Gavazi on Saturday night will have been an important step.
Watch Whittaker vs. Gavazi with a DAZN subscription
Ben Whittaker makes his Matchroom debut against Benjamin Gavazi exclusively on DAZN this Saturday night, November 29. Watch with a subscription, monthly and annual options available.
