Hearn Says Ben Whittaker Is Still A Third-Bracket Fighter

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

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

“It’s really easy to promote him. The focus is on developing him as a fighter to be able to challenge and compete with the names we need to in the division,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground. “When you look at the phases at 175, you’ve got Beterbiev, Bivol, Benavidez. They’re the three standouts.”

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

“I put Callum Smith teetering on that point, but then you’ve got Buatsi and Yarde. Beneath that, you’ve got the domestic guys. You’ve got Willy Hutchinson, Craig Richards, you’ve got Dan Azeez. And now I start to put Ben Whittaker only in that third bracket in terms of where he is and who he’s ready for right now,” said Hearn.

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

Of that bunch, the Cuban Morrell is fighting on another level, and that includes Whittaker. Hearn will see that 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 power.

“So this is a good fight. This is a tough fight,” said Hearn about Whittaker fighting Benjamin Gavazi.

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

If Whittaker doesn’t work 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 could slip into the fourth bracket.

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