Hearn Fast-Tracks Ben Whittaker For WBC Silver Title Bid

New Matchroom Boxing signee, Ben Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) will battle for the vacant WBC Silver light heavyweight title against little-known Benjamin Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) on November 29 in Birmingham, England. The event will be shown live on DAZN.

Matchroom will hold a press conference this Friday, October 17, in London to discuss the signing of a long-term deal with their company by 2020 Olympic Silver medalist Whittaker. Additionally, the press conference will be used to talk about Ben’s fight against Gavazi on November 29th for the vacant WBC Silver 175-lb title.

Benavidez Fight on the Horizon

With Whittaker going after the WBC Silver belt, promoter Eddie Hearn is putting him in line to challenge ‘The Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez for his WBC light heavyweight belt. What a fight that would be.

The pressure-fighter Benavidez’s volume punching is dealing with Whittaker’s slick, crafty movement. It’ll be an interesting fight to see if Ben can neutralize Benavidez’s strengths by moving and out-slicking him. There’s no point in Hearn waiting two to three years to make this match-up. Whittaker is at the top of his game, both in terms of mobility and defense, for him to fight Benavidez. Waiting until Ben is in his 30s isn’t a good idea for Hearn.

Eddie Hearn’s Fast-Track Plan

Matchroom is fast-tracking Whittaker to get him into position to fight for a world title. It makes sense. He’ll be turning 29 on June 6, 2026, and can’t afford to be brought along slowly by promoter Eddie Hearn if he wants to take advantage of his prime years in the sport.

Ideally, Whittaker’s former promoters, Boxxer, should have already stepped him up against high-ranking contenders to get him ready for a world title shot against WBC champion David Benavidez or IBF, WBA, and WBO champion Dmitry Bivol.

Whittaker’s Olympic Pedigree

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

The German Gavazi, 30, has been facing exclusively obscure opposition in Germany throughout his seven-year professional career. This is his first step up against a world-class opponent, facing #9 WBC Whittaker. It could end badly for Gavazi.

Learning From the Cameron Draw

Whittaker is coming off a second-round knockout win over Liam Cameron in their rematch on April 20, 2025. In their first fight, Whittaker struggled with the pressure that the Beterbiev-esque Cameron applied to him on October 12, 2024.

The fight ended in the sixth when Whittaker toppled out of the ring after leaning against the ropes while holding onto Cameron. Injured during the fall, Whittaker could no longer continue, and the contest was subsequently ruled a sixth-round technical draw.