Ben Whittaker to fight for WBC silver title in November debut for Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing
Ben Whittaker will make his biggest jump yet toward a world title shot on Nov. 29.
Whittaker is set to face Germany's Benjamin Gavazi for the WBC silver light heavyweight title at The NEC in Birmingham, England. The fight marks Whittaker's debut for Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing after signing a long-term promotional deal with the company earlier this month.
Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) is the WBC's No. 9-ranked light heavyweight. Capturing the WBC silver belt could propel him into the organization's top five and closer to a shot at the sanctioning body's full titleholder, David Benavidez.
"The Surgeon" scored the biggest win of his career in April in a much-anticipated rematch with Liam Cameron, stopping Cameron in Round 2. The first fight between the pair, which took place in October 2024, was the subject of much controversy after both men toppled over the ropes and outside the ring during the fifth round. Whittaker sustained an injury during the fall, which made him unable to proceed with the bout. The judges ruled the fight a technical draw, although many felt that Cameron was getting the better of Whittaker at the time.
Gavazi (19-1, 13 KOs) picked up the WBC international silver strap with a 10th-round TKO of Branimir Malencia in December. He ends an 11-month layoff for his third trip outside of his native Germany.
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In the night's co-feature, Cameron Vuong (9-0, 4 KOs) and Gavin Gwynne (18-4-1, 5 KOs) rematch in a lightweight bout. Vuong won a contentious decision over Gwynne last November on the Sunny Edwards vs. Galal Yafai undercard.
Also on the card, former UFC fighter Molly McCann (1-0, 1 KO) has her second professional boxing match against Ebonie Cotton (1-0), Aaron Bowen (7-0, 5 KOs) fights for his first title — the Midlands Area middleweight championship — against Tom Cowling (14-1, 4 KOs), and Ibraheem Sulaimaan (9-0, 4 KOs) returns to action.
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