Boxing
Ben Whittaker backed for stunning 2026 achievement after career-crowning knockout
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Ben Whittaker has "levels above him" to conquer but Eddie Hearn firmly believes his charge has the skill to "light up world boxing" in 2026.
'The Surgeon' scored a first-round knockout against Benjamin Gavazi at Birmingham's bp pulse LIVE on Saturday on his Matchroom debut.
Whittaker, seeking to further burnish his stock after last year's shock draw with Liam Cameron, offered a statement turn on home turf here.
Speaking afterwards in the ring, Hearn saw the triumph as mission accomplished as the pair bid to conquer the light-heavyweight division.
"All I can say is wow," he told DAZN. "Sometimes, people come into an arena and light up the place. The energy, the ringwalk, everything.
"But what matters is what happens in [the ring]. Gavazi came in with nineteen straight wins. We know there are many levels above him.
"What you do is go in there, destroy them clinically and provide a showreel knockout that the whole world watches for the next week.
"When you talk British boxing, those eccentric characters with ability, this guy has it all. This guy has the ability to [...] light up world boxing."
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