Hearn says Ben Whittaker is still a fighter in the third bracket

Eddie Hearn says he views light heavyweight contender Ben Whittaker as the “third bracket” of the top fighters in the 175-lb division. He states that his focus is on “developing” 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) into a superstar.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

“It’s very easy to promote him. The focus is on developing him as a fighter to be able to challenge and compete with the names we have to have in the division,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. The pounding ground. “If you look at the stages at 175, you have Beterbiev, Bivol, Benavidez. They are the three standouts.”

Whittaker fights Benjamin Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) this Saturday, Nov. 29, in a 10-round bout on a Matchroom card at the National Exhibition Center, Birmingham, England.

“I had Callum Smith faltering at that point, but then you’ve got Buatsi and Yarde. Underneath that you’ve got the domestic guys. You’ve got Willy Hutchinson, Craig Richards, you’ve got Dan Azeez. And now I’m just starting to put Ben Whittaker in that third bracket in terms of where he’s at and who he’s ready for now,” he said.

Eddie overlooks David Morrell, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Imam Khataev in the second bracket. All three would be a big problem for Buatsi, Callum, Richards, Azeez and Yarde.

Of that bunch, the Cuban Morrell fights on another level, and that includes Whittaker. Hearn will see it when his fighter, WBO interim light heavyweight champion Callum, defends against Morrell in January 2026. At 27, Morrell is younger than the 28-year-old Whittaker and possesses superior strength.

“So it’s a good fight. It’s a tough fight,” Hearn said of Whittaker fighting Benjamin Gavazi.

Hearn needs to take a good look at Whittaker in this fight to decide if he’s a keeper or not. The first Liam Cameron fight gave a clear picture of Whittaker’s potential. Additionally, Ben’s last two amateur fights against Arlen Lopez of Cuba and Imam Khataev of Russia showed his limits as he struggled in both.

If Whittaker doesn’t pan out as a star, Hearn will be stuck with an albatross, a constant reminder of the mistake he made in signing him. Whittaker may not rise above the third bracket, or he may slide into the fourth bracket.

Ben’s performance against fourth bracket fighter Cameron in their first fight in 2024 was a red flag about his potential, or lack thereof, as a fighter.