The look is complicated by the fact that he often taunts opponents who are clearly outmatched, leading to criticism that he simply bullies lower-level competition in fights designed to make him look good. This creates a narrative of unnecessary humiliation rather than true competitive dominance.
“You can go out there and dance like Chris Brown, but if you lose, it’s not going to happen again,” Whittaker told DAZN. “Winning is all that matters.”
Whittaker divided people. Half the fans want him to stop the bullshit, while the other half just watch because he’s a character. He says he understands why people are annoyed, but the real issue is who he’s fighting. It’s easy to look cocky against guys who never had a chance to win.
If he pulled those stunts against killers like David Benavidez or David Morrell, fans would respect it more. But right now his promoters don’t put him in that top tier, even though he’s the same age as the big names.
“Lots of people, you can never please everybody,” Whittaker said. “They say Ben Whittaker plays too much. Then I knock someone out, and they say why doesn’t he dance anymore.”
Whittaker insists the style is not an act. It’s something that comes naturally once he settles into a fight.
“For me, as long as I go out there and be original, that’s what matters,” he said.
Whittaker doesn’t buy the Prince Naseem Hamed comparisons, even though people keep bringing them up. He claims he never even watched Naseem fight.
Still, his flamboyant style looks a lot more like Naz than the traditional legends he says he studied. He insists his game is built on guys like Pernell Whitaker and Willie Pep, but his movement goes way beyond the basic stuff Pernell did.
“Honestly, no. I’ve actually never seen Prince Naseem fight,” Ben said. “I grew up on a real boxing foundation. I’ve seen people try to copy my style, but that’s when they’ll get in trouble because it’s not them. It’s not original. Sometimes when it’s there, I have to take it.”
