England is calling for Benjamin Whittaker
England is calling for national amateur champion Benjamin Whittaker after the Wodensborough ABC fighter was invited to their training camp.
The welterweight from Darlaston, 16, who has an unpaid record of 20 wins and two defeats from 22 bouts, is going to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
It's more good news for the talented teenager, who tasted glory in the National Ambition Boxing Championships on December 5.
Trainer Steve O'Rourke said: "I have had e-mail confirmation through that Ben has been invited to an England training camp. They are looking towards his age group for their next batch of talent.
"He is back in the gym to get ready for that, along with the junior ABAs, where he has reached the national quarter-finals."
Whittaker took the title at 66kg in Class A, boxers for born in 1997, at the expense of champion Inder Bassi, from Gator ABC in London, at the Rainton Meadows Arena in County Durham.
The Black Country combatant came from behind to hand his opponent a standing round in the third and last round, right in front of a delighted O'Rourke at ringside.
He said: "He's getting used to being a national champion now, he knows how hard it is to get there and how hard it's going to be to stay there.
"But he has the right attitude, he's a determined and very grounded kid. He's one where I don't think his proper strength will come through until he's 21 or 22.
"When it does, he will be a decent all-round package. And the last round-and-a-half of boxing he produced in the final was the best I have ever seen from him.
"He had to show a lot of guts to do it and I think he's proved to everyone what he's capable of."
