Ben Whittaker will make his US debut on the undercard of Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in the early hours of Sunday morning, this time facing an opponent who should at least take him past the opening round.
‘The Surgeon’ sliced through his last two victims in double-quick fashion, no longer ‘playing with his food’ – as Terence Crawford once accused him of doing – but instead performing with more spite than flamboyance.
In some ways, this no-nonsense approach belies his showboating identity, or at least gives him less of a window to strut around the ring in an unapologetic manner.
Yet it must be said that, since linking up with trainer Andy Lee, Whittaker has looked a vastly improved version of the man who, more often than not, was guilty of ‘playing with his food’.
This ruthless style became apparent in his rematch with Liam Cameron, where, following their first encounter – which resulted in a controversial technical draw – Whittaker wasted little time before engineering an emphatic second-round finish.
At that point, in April 2025, Cameron was by far his most credible opponent in the professional ranks. But now, it would appear that the 29-year-old could encounter an even greater challenge against Richard Rivera.
The pair will collide this Saturday in New York, with many expecting Whittaker to produce another statement performance.
But while Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is likely hoping for the same outcome, this could easily end up being more of a learning experience for the Wolverhampton man.
Those unfamiliar with Rivera might be underwhelmed by his status in the sport, yet the 35-year-old has only suffered two razor-thin defeats, one of which being a dubious split decision loss to former multi-division world champion Badou Jack.
This came at cruiserweight, and despite being a sizable underdog, Rivera proved a right handful for his accomplished and still-serviceable opponent in 2022.
Back then, in fact, his career seemed as if it would finally take off, only for a string of low-level victories to keep him out of the world title picture.
If things had panned out differently – as in, if he had built any momentum at all – then maybe we would be speaking of Rivera as a genuine contender at 175lbs.
He may not be the fastest, or possess the heaviest hands, but Rivera does have the type of crafty footwork and durability to potentially ask questions of Whittaker.
The only downside, of course, is that the American has boxed just two rounds in the last two years, but still he insists on social media that Whittaker is little more than a hype job.
“Not going to need a can of spinach for this fight!” ‘Popeye The Sailor Man’ said on an Instagram post. “Ben Whittaker might have the boxing world fooled, but I’m not convinced nor impressed.”
Despite coming against a generally poor standard of opposition, it is difficult not to be impressed by Whittaker’s professional performances, especially with the Olympic silver medallist now offering a compelling blend of surgical precision and mean intentions.
As mentioned, though, the unbeaten talent could be made to go more rounds than expected against Rivera, who is not only a reasonably-sized light-heavyweight but also employs the type of awkward style to make this a somewhat fiddly affair, potentially keeping Whittaker from enthralling the US public.
