Trainer SugarHill Steward believes Ben Whittaker will go all the way, not only to become a world champion but that he has all the “components” he needs to be a superstar.
Steward, well regarded notably for guiding Tyson Fury through his two victories over Deontay Wilder and other high-profile fights, has coached Olympic silver medallist Whittaker from his professional debut.
Although they have only had three fights together, Steward rates what he has seen from Whittaker in the gym and in the ring.
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Ben Whittaker targets a future fight with British, Commonwealth and European light-heavyweight champion Dan Azeez.
Steward said that Whittaker has “a lot more than just talent”.
“There’s a lot of talent out there but there’s not a lot of fighters who have all those other components that make them a superstar,” Steward told Sky Sports.
“He has talent outside the ring, charisma, ability to entertain, ability to talk, to be able to deal with people, to deal with different situations, overcome adversity, want more, to still have that hard work ethic and things like that.”
That is a rare cocktail of ingredients for a boxer.
“Every fighter doesn’t have that and very few fighters who have it all become superstars. There’s so many world champions in boxing but there’s never been that many superstars,” Steward said. “You’ve got guys that are world champions and nobody even knows who they are.
“But to be a superstar is something different. When you’re a superstar, it’s bigger than boxing. It’s global.
“Ben Whittaker, I see him going all the way.”
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Ben Whittaker was flawless on his return to the ring, dispatching Jordan Grant within three rounds.
Whittaker will box next on the Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs Savannah Marshall bill in Manchester on July 1, live on Sky Sports.
Whittaker won his second pro fight in the Middle East, handily controlling a previously unbeaten opponent to pick up a clear points win. He dazzled though both on his debut last year and his most recent fight in May with his showboating and power-punching that dropped and stopped both of those opponents.
Steward has no problem with Whittaker showboating, as long as he is expressing himself in the ring. That, he points out, has led him to the success he’s already enjoyed.
“Everybody’s different. Everybody’s not going to be built the way you want them to be built,” Steward said.
“It is his personality. If you’re around him and you know him, he’s joking around and he’s playing a lot.
“Just be able to mix it and blend it with doing both. That’s what we’re working on creating now, is blending it and being able to do both. Roy Jones Jr was a showman. He always played but he got the job done and that’s what made him such a great Hall of Fame fighter.”
Whittaker starred at the Olympic Games in Tokyo with his display of flashy skills. He excelled through the tournament, ultimately securing the light-heavyweight silver medal.
“If it’s his personality, you’ve got to go with it. There’s a time and place. You know when to play and when not to,” Steward said. “Do it your way.
“But always, always we work on staying cautious and being alert still. So it’s just learning how to put those two together and then go out there and have fun.
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Ben Whittaker took inspiration from ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed’s ring walk against Kevin Kelley in New York as he walks to the ring in Birmingham.
“Am I such a serious person that I don’t play around?” he added. “Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. It just depends on the situation. It’s just me adapting to the environment that I’m in or the situation that I’m in.
“Being a former police officer, I could be joking with my partner, saying something and then boom shots could come off. You change like that. You don’t have time to think about it. You have to able to change and adapt to the environment or the situation that you come upon in life, period.”
He expects British boxing fans to celebrate Whittaker’s unique blend of talents.
“The same old thing, it gets boring,” Steward said. “Somebody else doing something new and that’s fresh, there’s no harm.
“We have our struggles in life with new things. This is a new thing now.”