Ben Whittaker has revealed the lack of clarity around fight dates and his return to the ring was a driving force behind his departure from Boxxer, saying “time waits for nobody.”
After his Boxxer contract ended, Whittaker joined Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom earlier this month. His first fight with Hearn comes on Nov. 29 in Birmingham against German Benjamin Gavazi.
The 28-year-old light heavyweight last fought in April, a Round 2 knockout win in his rematch against Liam Cameron.
However, Boxxer have had limited events since, with their broadcast deal with Sky Sports coming to an end in June. In August, Ben Shalom’s company announced a new deal with the BBC.
Whittaker said his eagerness to get active and build towards a world title fight was one of the main reasons behind leaving.
“I’m 28 now. Time waits for nobody, and the way things were going; ‘When am I going to fight? Am I going to fight?’ It was just all over the place,” Whittaker said.
“What [Boxxer] have done for me is great, and I’ll say that to everybody — they helped me out, got me into a great position. At the end of the day, it’s just business.
“You can’t take things personal, but I think we knew, down the line, me and Eddie [Hearn] and Frank Smith would happen, and we’re here now.”
As well as thanking Boxxer, Whittaker acknowledged the BBC is a huge platform, but felt DAZN, who also have deals with Frank Warren’s Queensberry and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions, was a better option for him.
The Olympic siler medallist is already one of the biggest names in British boxing, despite being just 10 fights into his professional career.
With Matchroom, Whittaker said he wants to target multiple fights next year to take his career to the next level.
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“World champion, that’s the plan. But I can do global fights; I’ve got more of a global audience,” Whittaker said.
“Activity’s key, elsewhere I couldn’t really do a lot of fights. It’s get active. I’m still 28. When you get into that later part of your career, world titles or contending for a world title, your career will slow down.
“This year I’m getting one fight, you’re not going to learn like that. They’ve put down a plan where I can do three, four fights a year, and that’s what I needed.”
