Ben Whittaker promises to do his talking in the ring amidst social media sabbatical

Ben Whittaker believes his recent social media sabbatical will bear fruit when he steps back inside the ring in Sunday's hugely-anticipated light-heavyweight rematch with domestic rival Liam Cameron.

The Olympic silver medalist was well below par as he was forced to settle for a controversial split decision draw last time out, with the fight brought to an abrupt halt after the pair flipped over the top rope.

A subsequent ankle injury sustained during the incident meant that Whittaker was unable to continue, meaning the bout went to the judges scorecards after just six rounds.

Many believed that the underdog, Cameron, had done enough up until that point to score victory, but the three judges all scored the fight differently, setting things up perfectly for this weekend's rematch in Birmingham.

"Training camp has been perfect, and apart from that I have just been chilling, stripping a lot of outside noise away from my life, such as social media and things like that," he told Boxing Scene.

I have taken myself away from the limelight and back to the place I was at before all this fame and Instagram stuff, because, at the end of the day, when I went to the Olympics, I was just boxing, just boxing, just being me.

"Then when you turn pro, of course you do a bit of media, and my media was blowing up, and it was taking a lot of time, really.

"So for me, it's good to strip things back. I've just been able to just focus on myself, focus on the people around me. And I kind of liked it. It was quite good, to be fair."

Whittaker, famed for his in-ring flamboyancy and 'cocky' antics, acknowledges that he maybe took his opponent lightly last time out, instead looking towards more lucrative affairs down the line - a mistake he has promised not to make on Easter Sunday.

"Maybe I did (take him lightly), I'm always like, looking down the line, thinking what's next," the BOXXER star added.

"I was thinking about fighting in New York next, and thinking this, that and the other, but sometimes it's good, and important, to just stay in the present.

"I think that's the main thing that this has taught me, to stay present and not worry or think about the future. When you get the present right, the future will take care of itself."

Mark Mothershaw

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