Listen to Ben Whittaker’s fast track to his WBC silver title

Matchroom Boxing signee Ben Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) will compete for the vacant WBC silver light heavyweight title against Benjamin Gavazzi (19-1, 13 KOs) on November 29 in Birmingham, England. The event will be displayed Live on DAZN.

Matchroom will be holding a press conference on Friday, October 17 in London to discuss the signing of 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker to a long-term contract with their company. Additionally, the press conference will be used to talk about Penn vs. Gavazzi’s fight on November 29 for the vacant WBC silver 175-pound title.

Benavidez fight on the horizon

With Whittaker gunning for the WBC silver belt, promoter Eddie Hearn has him in line to challenge “The Mexican Monster” David Benavidez for the WBC light heavyweight belt. What a battle this will be.

The volume of Benavidez’s punches for a pressure fighter counteracts Whittaker’s slick, skillful movement. It will be an interesting fight to see if Ben can neutralize Benavidez’s strengths by moving him around and outplaying him. There is no point in Hearn waiting two to three years to make this match. Whittaker is at the top of his game, both in terms of movement and defense, taking on Benavidez. Waiting until Ben is in his 30s is not a good idea for Hearn.

Eddie Hearn’s Fast Track Plan

Matchroom is fast-tracking Whittaker to put him in position to challenge for a world title. It makes sense. He will turn 29 on June 6, 2026, and cannot afford to be taken slowly by promoter Eddie Hearn if he wants to capitalize on his prime years in the sport.

Ideally, Whittaker’s former promoters, Boxxer, should have already stepped him up against high-level contenders to prepare him for a world title fight against WBC champion David Benavidez or IBF, WBA and WBO champion Dimitri Bivol.

Whittaker’s Olympic pedigree

With Ben’s Olympic experience, Whittaker, a three-year pro, didn’t need to be a kid like other fighters coming out of the amateur ranks.

German Gavazzi (30 years old) has faced almost exclusively ambiguous opposition in Germany throughout his seven-year career. This is his first step against a world-class opponent, as he faces WBC No. 9 Whittaker. It could end badly for Gavazzi.

Learning from Cameron’s lottery

Whittaker is coming off a second round knockout win over Liam Cameron in a rematch on April 20, 2025. In their first fight, Whittaker suffered from the pressure put on him by the Beterbiev-like Cameron on October 12, 2024.

The fight ended in the sixth when Whittaker fell out of the ring after leaning on the ropes while holding on to Cameron. After being injured during a fall, Whittaker was no longer able to continue, and the bout was later ruled a technical draw in the sixth round.