Whittaker warns that he will tear Gavazi down after the weigh-in

Ben Whittaker and Benjamin Gavazi both successfully weighed in 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 on the line for this fight.

This is 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 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT. Ring walks at approximately 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT.

“I look good, don’t I?” said a confident sounding Whittaker on the stage. “Trust me, it’s hard to look this good. But I’ve worked hard in Ireland, and I feel good. We know this time is going to come with me to Matchroom. Now it’s time to put on a show.”

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

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

“That’s good energy (from Benjamin Gavazi) – and that’s the energy you need. He’s here, and he’s ready to fight. He’s not an idiot, but I’m going to show up and show why I’m the Surgeon. I’m a perfectionist – I’m going to tear him down,” Whittaker said.