- Ben Whittaker survived a headbutt and elbow from Ezra Areyeka in London
- The Englishman achieved a points victory after surviving his rival’s antics.
- The mood for a spicy build-up threatened to spill over into the Selhurst Park ring
British boxing’s greatest showman Ben Whittaker overcame a headbutt and elbow from his fierce opponent Ezra Areyeka to fight his way to a one-sided points victory on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith and Richard’s world title fight Riakporhe in Selhurst Park.
After a spicy buildup that saw Whittaker grab his opponent’s throat in Friday’s final showdown in response to being accused of acting “like a child” with his ring antics, tempers threatened to spill over into the ring in a brawl. which Whittaker dominated, earning a 100-89 verdict on one judge’s scorecard, with the other two scoring 99-90.
After being outmatched for the first half of the 10-round contest, Arenyeka headbutted the 2021 Olympic silver medalist at the end of the sixth round after Whittaker tauntingly walked him back to his corner.
Arenyeka received a stern reprimand from the referee, but did not calm down moments later and proceeded to point his elbow at Whittaker during a clinch in the next round.
This time, the referee had no choice but to intervene and deduct a point from the loser.
Ben Whittaker outlasts Ezra Areyeka for points victory in London
The Englishman survived a headbutt from his opponent at the end of the sixth round.
He also withstood an elbow as Areyeka escalated his dirty tactics as tempers flared.
Whittaker fought his way through the rest of the fight and there was no doubt he would get his hand raised, but the flamboyant light heavyweight may have been a little disappointed at not being able to score a stoppage on the big stage.
The 27-year-old loves to put on a show and that started before the fight even began.
Whittaker danced and made his way to the ring with the help of a symphony orchestra while basking in the adulation of 15,000 fans.
It was a long walk that kept Arenyeka waiting, but Whittaker got to work when the opening bell rang.
Wearing pink gloves, Whittaker snapped Arenyeka’s head back with a hard right hand immediately before repeating the feat. Arenyeka attempted to respond, but could only hit fresh air, prompting Whittaker to shake his head in disdain before goading his opponent.
Arenyeka refused to be intimidated and removed his gloves, drawing cheers from the crowd, but Whittaker was in control from the start.
Whittaker’s showoff continued in the second, as he spent as much time looking toward the ring as he did at his opponent. But he still launched strong counterattacks at his rival, hurting Arenyeka with a left hook to the body and then the same shot to the temple.
Arenyeka connected with a right hand in the third to remind Whittaker that he was still in the contest, but that only served to fire up Whittaker as he landed multiple uppercuts to send Arenyeka backing toward the ropes.
Whittaker controlled the fight and will be disappointed not to have knocked out Areyeka
The fight was on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO world cruiserweight title victory over Richard Riakporhe.
The Selhurst Park crowd was left entertained but wanting more after watching an eventful contest.
The writing was on the wall and the pattern of the fight continued into the fourth round. Whittaker had found his rhythm and cut Arenyeka from all angles, and his opponent had minimal success in return.
To his credit, Arenyeka continued to advance and found the target in the fifth, but he couldn’t trouble Whittaker, who danced around the ring and smiled at those lucky enough to get ringside seats.
If Arenyeka was starting to gain confidence in the fifth, it evaporated in the next round as Whittaker began putting together eye-catching combinations that left his opponent clinging.
And then came Arenyeka’s two moments of madness. Could Whittaker have stepped on the accelerator to punish Arenyeka for his behavior?
To be fair, he tried in the final round, with Arenyeka staggering around the ring as the final bell rang after a barrage of punches from Whittaker.
But it held and Whittaker had to settle for a points victory, leaving the crowd entertained but still wanting more.