Benjamin Whittaker
| Benjamin Whittaker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ben Whittaker in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Light-heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 June 1997 Darlaston, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Benjamin G. Whittaker (born 6 June 1997)[2] is an English professional boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Amateur career
In 2018, he was picked to represent England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Australia's Gold Coast.[3]
In 2019, he was selected to compete at the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia,[4] where he won the bronze medal after losing by unanimous decision to Dilshodbek Ruzmetov in the semi-finals.[5]
In 2021, at the men's light-heavyweight category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Whittaker won the silver medal against Arlen Lopez, who won gold.
Whittaker tweeted, "You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure."
Distraught from falling short of gold, he refused to wear the medal at the ceremony; however, he vowed he would return to win gold, saying: "I'll come back, trust me."
Whittaker's passionate reaction drew mixed reactions, but most people were empathetic of Whittaker's reaction. English media personality Piers Morgan tweeted: "Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker".[6]
Professional career
In 2022 he signed a professional deal with Boxxer, training with SugarHill Steward.[7][8]
Notes
- ^ Also designated as the 2019 men's European Championships
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Benjamin Whittaker". BoxRec.
- ^ "Benjamin Whittaker - England Boxing Team". Commonwealth Games England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games 2018: McCormack twins named in England boxing squad". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". boxing247.com. East Side Boxing. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ "Thirteen boxers from GB Boxing squad selected to compete at 2019 World Championships in Russia". GB Boxing. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Piers [@piersmorgan] (4 August 2021). "'You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure. You're in this game to win gold.' Love this - finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you @BenGWhittaker. t.co/32RKabmDx5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ben Whittaker: Olympic silver medallist signs long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "GB Olympic medallist Whittaker to turn pro". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
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