Express & Star

Olympic hero Ben Whittaker has to wait for pro bow

Darlaston Olympic hero Ben Whittaker must wait a little longer for his professional boxing debut following the postponement of Hughie Fury’s clash with Michael Hunter.

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Whittaker, who won light-heavyweight silver at Tokyo 2020, was due to make his bow on the undercard of their WBA world title eliminator in Manchester next month.

But the event is now off after Fury’s training camp in the south of France was suspended due to illness.

“On behalf of myself and my son, we apologise to the fans but most of all to Hunter and his team, because like us, they’ve gone through a hard camp and this news is the last thing anyone wants to hear,” said Fury’s dad and coach Peter.

Whittaker, who twice won national titles as an amateur, recently signed a long-term deal with Boxxer promotions. He will be trained by Tyson Fury’s trainer Sugar Hill Steward and is managed by two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s 258 MGT.