Boxer Ben Whittaker signs with Anthony Joshua's management company ahead of pro debut
Darlaston boxing hero Ben Whittaker has signed with Anthony Joshua’s management company ahead of his professional debut.
The Olympic silver medallist has teamed up with the two-time world heavyweight champion’s 258 Management as he enters the next stage of his career.
Whittaker was this week formally released from the GB boxing squad and is expected to make his professional bow later this year.
The 24-year-old said: “I don’t really get excited about much, but I’m looking forward to starting the journey.
“I’ve had a lot of people come to me regarding management, but I believe the right fit for me was 258, they have proven themselves with other fighters and they have the same vision as me. Not only that we have known each other for a while now so it made sense to team up.”
Whittaker and Joshua are long-time friends having both trained at the Sheffield Institute of Sport. Las October, Whittaker told the Express & Star he was being courted by some of the biggest promoters in the world after winning silver at Tokyo 2020.
Freddie Cunningham, managing director at 258, said: “We identified Ben a long time ago and have been pursuing him for a while now, his performance at the Olympics and the media attention he generated not only back in the UK but also in Japan only confirmed what we knew.
"We want to make him into one of the biggest stars of the sport and one of the first from the UK to break into the Asian market and appeal to a younger audience demographic.
“Ben will need to work hard in the ring and perform to his full potential but with that, his character and entertainment inside and outside of the ropes there is no limit to what he can achieve.”
