Ben Whittaker has Work to do Before Facing Dmitry Bivol or David Benavidez
Top light-heavyweight contender Ben “The Surgeon” Whittaker survives a scare in the last round against Conor Wallace. Despite winning by unanimous decision, he is not ready to face unified champion Dmitry Bivol or WBC champion “The Monster” David Benavidez.
After controlling most of the fight, The Surgeon (13-0-1, 9KO) did what he always does, and that is play too much in the ring. This proved too costly. In the tenth round, he kept getting hit repeatedly with left-hand shots. Furthermore, the undefeated fighter was badly hurt and in survival mode for the majority of the twelfth round. Nonetheless, Whittaker walked away with the win and one step closer to a title shot.
HE IS NOT READY FOR A TITLE SHOT
Despite holding the #2 WBC spot and winning the IBF title eliminator, Whittaker needs to get serious when looking at facing Bivol (25-1, 12KO) or Benavidez (32-0, 26KO). He did a good job against Richard Rivera on June 27, winning by stoppage in a U.S. debut.. But to win a world title, he will need to be more locked-in than ever.
Bivol is coming off a dominating performance against Michael Eifert on May 30. The unified champion looked sharper than ever. In addition, Whittaker could get the fight since a trilogy against one-time undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev appears to be no longer in play.
Benavidez is a whole different animal. Fresh off brutalizing Gilberto Ramirez for the unified cruiserweight titles, he looks unstoppable. The two-division champion’s power, speed, and relentless aggression are levels above anything Whittaker can handle.
If Whittaker wants to be a world champion, things need to change. As of right now, he is nowhere near ready.
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