Whittaker Warns He’ll Dismantle Gavazi After Weigh-In

Ben Whittaker and Benjamin Gavazi both weighed in successfully today at Friday’s weigh-in for Saturday’s fight.

2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) comes into his 10-round fight against Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) with pressure on him. The vacant WBC Silver light heavyweight title will be at stake for this fight.

It’s his debut with Matchroom, and promoter Eddie Hearn has already labeled him a “generational” talent and a future “superstar.”

Weights

Ben Whittaker 174.8 lbs vs. Benjamin Gavazi 174.5 lbs

Saturday’s Whittaker-Gavazi event will be shown live on DAZN. The main card begins at 2 pm ET / 11:00 am PT. Ring walks at approximately 4:30 pm ET / 1:30 pm PT.

“I’m looking good, aren’t I?” said a confident-sounding Whittaker on stage. “Trust me, it’s hard to look this good. But I have worked hard over in Ireland, and I’m feeling good. We know this time was going to come with me coming over to Matchroom. Now, it’s time to put on a show.”

There are a lot of question marks about the 28-year-old Whittaker after the way he performed a year ago against Liam Cameron in their first fight. He buckled under the pressure from Liam, who is a domestic-level British fighter and not world-class.

Hearn is banking on Whittaker capturing a world title within five fights. The 175-lb division is already stacked with solid fighters, making it difficult for Ben to realize Hearn’s dreams. With the right matchmaking, Hearn could turn him into a money fighter even without him winning a world title. That’s what he’s done with Conor Benn, and he’s made millions without winning a world title. Whittaker has the perfect cocky, villain-esque personality to be that type of fighter.

“It’s good energy [from Benjamin Gavazi] – and it’s the energy you need. He’s here, and he’s ready to fight. He’s not an idiot, but I’m going to turn up and show why I am the Surgeon. I’m a perfectionist – I am going to break him down,” said Whittaker.