Tim Bradley calls Ben Whittaker ‘Fool’s Gold’ at 175

Tim Bradley says he considers Ben Whittaker to be “fool’s gold” before his Matchroom debut against Benjamin Gavazi on November 29. He states that Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) lacks “fundamentals” and can’t see himself beating “anybody in the top 10” at 175.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

Whittaker’s fight against Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) will give an indication of whether he will make it as a pro. The two are headliners on DAZN on November 29 in a 10-round bout for the WBC Silver light heavyweight title at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England.

No faith in Whittaker’s Fundamentals

Promoter Eddie Hearn recently signed 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker to a long-term contract with Matchroom, which sees him as a “generational talent.” Boxing analyst Bradley disagrees and says he believes even Hamzah Sheeraz would beat him. He does not believe that Whittaker’s trashy style of “crawling” around inside the ring will work against top-10 level fighters at 175. So far, you can’t disagree with Bradley.

Tim mentions that Whittaker looked like he was ready to quit in his first fight against Liam Cameron on October 12, 2024. When Ben failed to score a quick knockout in that fight, he began to fall apart under pressure from Cameron in the fifth round.

“As for Ben Whittaker, I’m dead, I think he is fools gold. I actually think (Hamzah) Sheeraz will beat him,” said analyst Tim Bradley on his channelgives his thoughts on light heavyweight contender Ben Whittaker.

Whittaker’s mental fragility exposed

Bradley obviously bases much of his opinion on how mentally Whittaker crumbled when he was relentlessly attacked by Cameron in their first fight. I can understand why Tim would see Whittsaker as “fool’s gold” after watching that fight. It wasn’t even against a top contender.

Although Ben knocked Cameron out in the second round of their rematch on April 20 this year, you still have to doubt whether we would have seen a similar collapse had the match gone into the later rounds.

As the saying goes, “coming events cast their shadows.” Whittaker has already shown that he can’t handle the pressure of fighters walking him down. Predictably, he will quickly disintegrate when faced with a pressure fighter who ignores his trash style and continues to attack him.

“They (Matchroom) are trying to move him quickly because he’s 28 years old. That’s not old. He’s facing a guy (Benjamin Gavazi) with twice the amount of fighting that he has, a guy that’s gritty,” Bradley said of Whittaker.

Matchroom’s risky investment

Matchroom has no choice but to move Whittaker quickly. He turns 29 next year, and they need to push him much faster than a younger fighter if they want to take advantage of his youth. If Whittaker can’t handle being moved quickly, he will fail. It will be interesting to know if Matchroom has a release clause in his contract with Whittaker if he doesn’t pan out.

“The reason I think he’s fool’s gold … He’s got all these moves, but he’s never going to make it to the big leagues. If Ben can’t knock this guy out early, it could be tough for him. I don’t see him beating anybody at 175 pounds, nobody in the top 10,” Bradley said of Whittaker.

Based on Whittaker’s performance in his first fight with Cameron, I don’t see him beating any of these light heavyweight contenders:

• David Morrell
• Arlen Lopez
• Anthony Yarde
• Imam Khataev
• Artur Beterbiev
• Oleksandr Gvozdyk

Since 2015, Olly Campbell has brought readers a clear ringside perspective and a solid voice on boxing’s biggest nights.