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Whittaker Admits Overlooking Cameron – ‘The Future Will Come’

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 1:29 PM ET

Ben Whittaker admitted that he was looking ahead of Liam Cameron after he drew their first fight.

The two boxers will rematch on April 20, as they seek to put the first result behind them. Whittaker puts his reputation on the line following the controversy in the first fight. He secured a split-decision technical draw in their first fight after it was stopped in the fifth round: 58-57, 57-58, and 58-58.

This was after both men fell over the ropes while they were pressuring each other. While Cameron got back up to continue with the fight, Whittaker could not do the same as he required medical assistance. Cameron was devastated at the draw, given he was in command of the fight before the stoppage. He accused Whittaker of quitting, something he denied, saying the medical evidence proved otherwise.

Whittaker Reacts

Whittaker received a lot of praise before the first Cameron fight. He was praised for his showboating, drawing parallels with Prince Naseem. Naseem developed a reputation for knocking people out and showboating to the crowd. Whittaker’s record showed that too before the Cameron fight since he had 5 KOs from his seven fights. His showboating also made him a viral sensation on social media. However, the Cameron fight showed loopholes in his game when a boxer took the fight to him. Whittaker’s power also was not enough to keep Cameron off him. This time around, Whittaker is confident he will produce.

“I’m always like, I like to look down the line. And for me, I was like, yeah, after this, New York, after this, I’ll do this, after this. And sometimes it’s good to just be in the present. And I think that’s the main thing that this has taught me, to stay in the present, don’t think about the future. And then when you get the present right, the future will come. That’s how I treat it now.

“And one good thing is I used to put, I wouldn’t say pressure, but I used to put everything on boxing, boxing, boxing, boxing. And sometimes that’s draining too. You just heard the news of Joe [Gallagher] being diagnosed with cancer. Things like that, man, some things are bigger than boxing, some things are bigger than life itself. And when people are going through those situations, at the end of the day, it’s only a fight. And that mindset’s made me nice and calm and cool, and I’m good now. It is a barbaric sport, but at the end of the day, it is just a sport,” Whittaker said