As Ben Whittaker strutted — literally — to the ring alongside rapper Dizzee Rascal in Birmingham on Saturday, you could feel the crowd didn’t quite know what to make of it all.
But Birmingham, a tough, hard-nosed, working-class English city, known for its role in the industrial revolution and, more recently the setting of Peaky Blinders, better get used to the fact they have a flashy, showy superstar on their doorstep.
Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) knows he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea — even promoter Eddie Hearn conceded he wasn’t sure he liked him at first — and he loves it.
What you can’t argue with is his savage knockout of Benjamin Gavazi, an experienced guy who was supposed to give him rounds, but didn’t last three minutes.
But boxing fans are tough to please.
Fighters must have it all. If you talk a lot, you’d better back it up. If you can fight but don’t have the personality, you better get some.
Whittaker has both in bundles, and the right hand he unleashed on Gavazi has let people know he can bang as good as he talks. The opponents will get tougher, but he’s 11 fights into his career, and Hearn knows where he wants to take him next.
The U-S-of-A.
That almost mythical promised land for all UK fighters.
Truth is, as much as Whittaker loves the British fans and fighting at home, he is tailor made for America, where they love and embrace a showman, instead of cutting him off at the knees. Confirmation Hearn had signed a genuine star to the family business came from his daughter.
“You signed Ben Whittaker? He’s so cool … He’s sick!” she excitedly informed her father.
“Tell me another fighter in Britain that could get a reaction from that kind of audience,” Hearn told ESPN.
“The Yanks will absolutely love him. By the way, a lot of the Americans are going to boo him, but that’s the whole thing with him.”
The promoter’s challenge now is matching him with tough enough opponents while not moving too fast.
Regardless, America is calling.
Hearn would ideally want the Brit to find a place on the undercard of Jaron Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz in the first half of next year, should that fight happen, with Las Vegas being targeted.
Whittaker, too, is aware of the path he is on already.
“When you want to build a star like me, you got to take your time,” he said. His remarks after the fight were a well-mixed blend of knowing there is work to do, but with his trademark swagger.
As he said in the ring: “Damn, I looked good.”
