Ben Whittaker Delivers Surgical Knockout Win

Making his ringwalk accompanied by British rapper Dizzee Rascal and dressed as the Silver Surfer, Whittaker said after his win, “When you walk out pretty like that, you gotta back it up. And that’s what I did.”

Make no mistake, the matchup between Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) and the undefeated but untested Gavazi (19-2, 13 KOs) was tailor-made for Whittaker’s Matchroom debut. In his second fight working with world-class trainer Andy Lee, it was Whittaker’s opportunity to put his skills on display and prove he takes boxing seriously inside the ring.

“Andy said in the locker room, what you do in sparring is enough. Go out there and do that. Work behind your things. I don’t want to give it away, but he said, ‘Work behind your things, and it’ll all come together.’ And damn, I look good.”

Hearn Sees Superstar in Whittaker

Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, who waited patiently to sign Whittaker after his brief run with Boxxer, is already hyping Whittaker as a boxer in the mold of flashy British showboaters like Nazeem Hamed and Chris Eubank Senior, “all those eccentric characters with plenty of ability. This guy has it all,” said Hearn.

Whittaker said he was happy to deliver a highlight Hearn and Matchroom can now play on repeat.

“At the end of the day, he was a game kid,” said Whittaker of his opponent, who eventually rose from the canvas safely. “I could see in his eyes at the end of the day, this is an opportunity for him to change his life. But he said something at the press conference that I knew let it slip. He said he’s got nothing to lose. Well, I’m a person that’s got everything to lose.”

Whittaker can continue to enjoy his hijinks outside the ring, but like Hamed and Eubank Sr., it’s all fun and games as long as he keeps winning. Whittaker’s skills have never been in question. It’s his heart and drive that have sometimes seemed to elude him.

Working under Hearn’s banner and with a trainer like Andy Lee, who seems to work wonders bringing the best out of his fighters, Whittaker has a bright future in a competitive division. But it’s up to him to make it happen.

In the grudge match co-main, junior welterweights Cameron Vuong of England (9-0-1, 4 KOs) and Gavin Gwynne of Wales (18-4-2, 5 KOs) fought to a draw in the rematch of the narrow decision for Vuong a year ago. Voung started off strong, but the determined Gwynne kept coming and refused to quit, winning most of the final rounds of the fight for the draw.

British Heavyweight Title Captured by Jeamie TKV  

The UK has a new British heavyweight champion. Jeamie Tshikeva, known as Jeamie TKV, got the better of Frazer Clarke after 12 grueling rounds, ending in a split decision win. Scores were 115-113 and 115-112 for TKV, and 115-113 for Clarke.

“It feels amazing. I whooped that boy in his back yard,” said Tshikeva. After a tough fight, Tshikeva said of Clarke, “I knew he was going to hold on, but he started blowing within the first 30 seconds. We are not at the Olympics anymore. ”

Jeamie TKV (9-2, 5 KOs) was coming off a TKO loss to David Adeleye, and was the underdog against Clarke (9-2-1, 7 KOs), who had successfully rebounded from his brutal first-round knockout loss to Fabio Wardley in October 2024 with his own first-round TKO win against  Ebenezer Tetteh in April.

The win sets up Tshikeva for bigger opportunities in an active heavyweight division full of British talent in 2026. It’s equally a setback for Clarke, who had promised his power would be too much for Tshikeva but ended up at the receiving end of more punishment than he might have expected.

Good to his word, Clarke started off strong, winning the early rounds. But Tshikeva had more than enough power to test Clarke, who’s proved he’s vulnerable to a good punch.

TKV was more than willing to go toe to toe with Clarke, and his chin gave him the chance to trade with Clarke. Clarke had no option but to keep firing. He made it close, but in the end, Tshikeva delivered more punishment than the hard-punching Clarke.

Referee John Latham didn’t want the fight to get out of hand after a contentious fight week, including a weigh-in scuffle, and ran a tight ship. He repeatedly warned Tshikeva about pushing down Clarke’s head and admonished both men about low blows, docking Tshikeva a point in the third round for hitting low.

But Tshikeva managed to get the victory despite digging that hole for himself by stepping up the pace as Clarke began to tire. Clarke had hoped to end the fight early, and when he couldn’t, it was Tshikeva’s opening to roll up rounds in the second half of the fight.

Tshikeva came close to stopping Clarke in the 11^th round. With Clarke fading, Tshikeva landed a hard left hook, and Clarke was in trouble backing up to the ropes. With referee Latham ready to stop the fight, Clarke did enough to get out of the round. Trainer Angel Fernandez warned Clarke he would stop the fight, but Clarke pleaded for the chance to finish the final round.

It wasn’t a good idea, as Tshikeva drilled Clarke with hooks. Clarke did just enough to keep Latham at bay for three minutes to the final bell, and the results in Tshikeva’s favor.

Improbable Rise of Jeamie TKV

Much like Fabio Wardley, who came to boxing late, Jeamie Tshikeva graduated from Middlesex University with a degree in Film and TV Studies. But he comes from a three-generation combat sports family. After briefing giving wrestling a go, he had 72 amateur fights for his family’s home country of Congo, winning a silver medal at the 2022 African Games, and turning pro. It’s a story whose next chapter will keep fans on the edge of their seats in 2026.

Clarke is far from done, but he is damaged and will need to regroup and work his way back into the competitive British heavyweight mix. A matchup with the popular Johnny Fisher is a possibility, who is also coming off a loss to Dave Allen.