Ben Whittaker experienced the greatest night of his professional boxing career on Saturday — but his celebration wasn’t allowed to last long.
Whittaker extended his unbeaten run to 11 fights by brutally knocking out Benjamin Gavazi to win the WBC silver light heavyweight title at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
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It was the most polished performance of his time in the paid ranks and provided him with the highlight-reel finish he desperately needed on his debut for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
But what should’ve been a night of satisfaction for Whittaker — realizing that his pairing with trainer Andy Lee was a perfect match for him after back-to-back early knockouts — instead turned into a bittersweet weekend.
The light heavyweight contender returned to his Wednesbury home in the West Midlands in the early hours of Sunday morning to find that it had been burgled, he revealed on social media.
Whittaker reacted:
“Highs and lows of the sport. Come back [from my fight], house has been burgled. But Wednesbury, I got a big, big reward. Find these people — let me know.
“They’ve even took my IBF [International] belt. What are they going to do with that?”
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Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs), ranked No. 9 in the WBC, is expected to be moved into the top five of the sanctioning body’s rankings following his highlight-reel win over Gavazi.
Whittaker’s next fight is expected to be a U.S. debut in early 2026, and if all goes well in the new year, he may at least find a few new belts to replace the one that allegedly went missing Saturday night.
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