There was no showboating from Ben Whittaker at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Liam Cameron didn’t give him a chance.
Olympic silver medallist Whittaker, 27, entered the 10-round light heavyweight fight against seasoned veteran Cameron as a prohibitive favorite. Someone should’ve told the ex-Commonwealth champion that.
In typical Whittaker fashion, he started fast. His quick hands, flashy combinations and stiff jab saw him cruise through the first round comfortably. But things changed in the second.
Cameron, who hails from the steel city of Sheffield in Yorkshire, began to time Whittaker. Despite having the slower hands, Cameron was able to punch between Whittaker’s shots. His high-glove defense was also effective.
Whittaker pressed the action in the third, but he struggled to pierce Cameron’s tight defense. In contrast, Cameron was able to counter him cleanly. The left rip was a particularly potent weapon for the underdog.
By the fourth, Cameron was clearly in control. There was nothing flashy about his boxing, but he landed the cleaner, heavier blows and his defense was sound. In a telling moment after the bell, Whittaker only half raised his arms in victory as he returned to his corner.
Cameron went on with it in the fifth. Whittaker, clearly frustrated with his stubborn opponent, tried to attack the body to slow Cameron down. Even these attempts fell short as he strayed low and drew a warning from the referee, who threatened to dock a point if he punched below the belt again.
Cameron locked up Whittaker in a clinch right at the bell and bulled him into the ropes. Whittaker, from Darlaston in the West Midlands, held tight and leaned back. The duo toppled over the loose ropes onto the ring apron, with security rushing in to prevent them from falling onto the floor.
As they rolled their way back into the ring under the bottom rope, Whittaker appeared to be in pain. He was helped back to his corner and had his right boot removed after an apparent ankle injury. He failed to answer the bell to start the sixth and the fight was sent to the cards after the accidental injury.
While the scores were being tallied, Whittaker was ferried back to the locker room in a wheelchair.
The judges scored the bout 58-57 for Whittaker, 58-57 Cameron, and 58-58, a technical decision split draw.
“He didn’t want anymore,” said a forlorn Cameron afterwards, who believed he did enough to get the nod.
Cameron moves to 23-6-1 with 10 knockouts, while Whittaker hobbles away with a ledger that reads 8-0-1 with five knockouts. There is little doubt there will be a rematch.
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