Ben Whittaker walked into the ring on Sunday night with more than just a rematch on the line — his pride, reputation, and future were all up for grabs. And he answered every question that followed him since last October’s bizarre and controversial draw with Liam Cameron.
This time, there were no question marks. No freak accidents. No wheelchairs. Just a convincing win for Whittaker — a performance built not just on skill, but on structure, heart, and maturity.
Teaming up with new trainer Andy Lee has clearly paid dividends. The Wolverhampton showman still had his signature swagger, but it came with sharper fundamentals, smarter movement, and a new-found resilience that some had doubted he possessed.
He finished Cameron off in the second round to silence the doubters and right the wrongs from their first fight in Saudi Arabia. However, what followed was ugly and uncalled for.
Whittaker ran to Cameron’s corner, shouting at his team in jubilation before Lee grabbed hold of his fighter. Once Whittaker’s excitement subsided, he and Cameron exchanged words of respect and admiration.
Ben Whittaker, 27, beat Liam Cameron in their rematch on Sunday evening in Birmingham
Teaming up with new trainer Andy Lee has clearly paid dividends for Whittaker (left)
The 27-year-old finished Cameron off in the second round to silence the doubters
When asked whether he spat in the direction of Cameron’s team, Whittaker said: ‘They are portraying me as a bad guy, but I work very hard, I was roaring like a Lion. If a bit of dribble came out, dribble came out.’
He went on to add: ‘Fair play to Liam, we spoke in the ring and he said nobody has ever hit him like that. What happened in Saudi needed to happen. I’m still flashy, I’m still swaggy but when I came in here I was disciplined. And now people know I can hit.’
Johnny Nelson was quick to defend Whittaker after the incident with Cameron’s team, he said: ‘It was emotion coming out. Frustration. Because of what he’s gone through, he’s been vilified. It’s him saying ‘I’m not washed up, everything you’ve said about me is complete rubbish. It’s human emotion.’
Meanwhile, Callum Simpson said: ‘When you know what a good person Grant Smith is, I think it’s bang out of order. I think he’s very lucky he’s got Andy Lee in his corner, who spoke for him and took him over to Cameron’s corner.’
The backdrop to the rematch was anything but smooth. Their first encounter ended in chaos when both men tumbled out of the ring and Whittaker was unable to continue due to injury.
The fight went to the judges score cards, and though officially scored a split-decision draw, many believed Cameron had done enough to win.
Whittaker ran to Cameron’s corner, shouting at his team before Lee grabbed hold of his fighter. Once Whittaker’s excitement subsided, he and Cameron exchanged words of respect
His last fight in October ended in bizarre circumstances with them going over the ropes
As Whittaker was wheeled out of the arena before the decision was even read, critics were quick to accuse him of quitting – giving the 27-year-old the nickname ‘Ben Quit-akker’.
But Whittaker had other ideas.
‘I believe that was the best chance to get me and he didn’t,’ he said in the lead-up to the rematch. And he was right. Sunday night was redemption, pure and simple.
While Cameron had been rewarded handsomely — both financially and promotionally — for his efforts in Saudi Arabia, signing with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, Whittaker had quietly gone back to the drawing board.
Enter Lee, whose calm influence and technical know-how helped bring discipline to Whittaker’s camp. The result? A more complete fighter who still dazzled with flair, but fought with the control of someone determined to rewrite the narrative.
The rematch itself wasn’t without its own drama. Originally set for 12 rounds, a contractual mishap from Whittaker’s promoters, Boxxer, led to heated negotiations.
Whittaker pictured receiveing medical treatment after falling out of the ring in Saudi Arabia
The Olympic silver medallist was subsequently wheeled out of the arena due to the injury
Cameron eventually agreed to a 10-round bout — the same distance as the first fight — in exchange for what he later described as an ‘absolute fortune.’
In the end, none of that mattered. From the opening bell, Whittaker took control. There was no sign of the man accused of folding under pressure.
Instead, there was grit. Determination. Proof that when the lights shine brightest, Ben Whittaker isn’t just a highlight-reel showman — he’s a real fighter.
The doubters called him a quitter. On Sunday night, Ben Whittaker proved them all wrong.