Boxing News
‘You play with your food too much’: How Crawford’s words changed Ben Whittaker
‘You play with your food too much’: How Crawford’s words changed Ben Whittaker
On April 18 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, Ben Whittaker faced Braian Suarez in a Matchroom Boxing event.
Whittaker has looked reinvigorated since teaming up with Andy Lee and moving to Matchroom. His impressive recent form continued with a first round stoppage win against Braian Suarez. After his win over Suarez on April 18, Whittaker revealed a conversation with Terence Crawford that changed everything.
Ben Whittaker blows Braian Suarez away in one round
Whittaker (11-0-1, 8 KOs) started quickly against Suarez, showcasing his trademark quick hands and accuracy. While still in the first round, Whittaker landed a big overhand right that sent Suarez to the canvas, leaving him unable to beat referee Steve Gray’s count. The Olympic silver medalist once again showed he’s a level above this calibre of opponent. It appears Matchroom will continue to match “The Surgeon” carefully, before stepping up the quality of opposition.
Ben Whittaker reveals Terence Crawford conversation
Speaking to the press after the fight, Ben Whittaker revealed a recent conversation he had with Terence Crawford that made him change his approach:
“When I was in Dubai for an event, I saw Terence Crawford, and he said ‘Trust me, bro, you’re a great fighter. You’ve got all the skill, but you play with your food too much.’
“And I sat back and thought, that’s true actually. I do play with my food too much. And ever since then, I’ve been knocking them clean out. That’s just me as well, I do like to mess around. I can do both. I can hop on one foot, I can spin around, I can look into the crowd, but if the shots there to take it, that’s what I like to do now.”
It appears that we will see Whittaker back in action on June 27, on the undercard to Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis. He clearly has all the ability needed to mix with the best fighters in the light heavyweight division. It will be fascinating to see how “The Surgeon” adapts to a better level of opposition.
