09 February 2024 , 11:21
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Arrogance, conceit or just a bit of fun? The debate has followed Ben Whittaker about all week after his showboating antics against Khalid Gradia.
Personally I don’t mind it. Sport is a business. It’s entertainment. You have to give people a reason to tune in, and Whittaker certainly did that. He added 100,000 new followers to his Instagram account overnight, breaking the half a million threshold. His showboating clips also attracted 15 million Instagram views, whilst his KO clip drew a further three million.
The conclusion is obvious. Whittaker sells and that has to be good for boxing. He attracts those who like it and those who want to see someone knock his block off. This stuff started with Sugar Ray Robinson in the 1950s but it was not until Muhammad Ali arrived in the 1970s that TV made it a thing.
Chris Eubank was a master of the art and Herol Bomber Graham triggered a genre at the Wincobank gym in Sheffield. The likes of Naseem Hamed, Ryan Rhodes and Junior Witter all followed. Though referee Sean McAvoy gave Whittaker a telling off, I genuinely don’t think he was mocking his opponent. I think he was just showing off. He did the same thing in his previous fight.
It was a good finish. Switched from body to head. That’s progress. Even though he was cocky and arrogant, look at the way he ended it. Boxing is entertainment with blood. I’m a purist, but this doesn’t offend me. I look at the performance in the round and he stopped a durable guy in the fifth.
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Don’t worry, he won’t be doing this against top 10 guys. We had him in our gym recently, sparring with Craig Richards, who is boxing at the O2 on Saturday. There was no showboating, let's put it that way.
When people hit you hard it changes your perspective quickly. It makes you burn more energy. Everything becomes more difficult.
Whittaker sells and that has to be good for boxing (Getty Images)I admire his ability to make people miss and the cockiness. He is a genuine jester. This is early doors in his pro career, just six fights. He wants to be different, to make an impression. He wants the TV companies to pick him out from the crowd.
It’s divisive, but it creates interest. Is it bombast or brilliance? I think it’s just a bit of fun. But the bottom line is these guys have to be able to fight.
And Whittaker can fight. Now people want to see him knocked on his backside. And he will be if he does it against the good guys. That’s the tension. I think he’s genuinely talented. He will go a long way. And I like him.
Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @McGuigans_Gym