Preview of Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron rematch: Will lightning strike twice?
After much speculation the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds
Ben Whittaker will face Liam Cameron again tomorrow night after claiming a controversial draw last time.
Whittaker (8-0-1, 5 KOs) has the opportunity to silence all doubters at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, some of whom believe he was en-route to suffering the first loss of his professional career before the freakish fall over the ropes in round six.
Indeed, the only thing more shocking than the incident was Cameron’s competitiveness as the ‘Cannonball’ was brought in to make Whittaker look good, but instead he gave the former Olympic silver medallist all he could handle.
And after so much speculation regarding how many rounds the rematch would be scheduled for, there are question marks of how confident Whittaker and his team are of getting the job done against Cameron in dominant fashion.
With days to go before the contest, it was finally confirmed the bout would be 10 rounds, suiting the wishes of Whittaker albeit with Boxxer compensating Cameron for an alteration in the initial contract from 12 rounds.Â
Cameron (23-6-1, 10 KOs) who had a boxing hiatus from 2018 to 2023, has ‘already won’ due to the life-changing sums of money he supposedly received in the first fight with Whittaker and now the rematch.
However, the Yorkshireman’s career would go to another level if he defeats Whittaker, with even bigger paydays.
As for Whittaker, aka ‘The Surgeon’, there is pressure for him to prove he is the prospect the boxing fraternity believed he was when he made his debut in 2022 and then went viral for his in-ring showboating.
Notably, there was no showboating in the first Cameron fight, implying that Whittaker wasn’t at his best or that he isn’t able to mess around when the opponent is at a certain level.
Following the first fight, Cameron has expressed his belief that Whittaker was struggling with the tempo of the bout.
Therefore, Whittaker’s ability to pace himself in the rematch might be crucial for him to emerge victorious.
Despite having a few stoppages on his resume, Whittaker has so far failed to show he has one-punch knockout power, going the distance with obscure opponents in Leon Willings and Ezra Arenyeka before facing Cameron.
So, unless Whittaker’s new trainer Andy Lee has taught him how to sit down on his punches, there is a good chance this bout will go all 10 rounds.
Meanwhile, Cameron needs to replicate what he did last time by drawing Whittaker into a fight rather than a boxing match, overwhelming him with pressure and sheer volume of punches.
Overall, the bookies have Whittaker as a slight favourite and it’s likely he will win via decision.
Still, Cameron showed he was not overawed first time round and the fight should be tightly-contested again, especially in the later rounds when Whittaker may start to tire.
