Darlaston's Ben Whittaker aims to return with a bang

Darlaston boxing hero Ben Whittaker has vowed to bring the hurt when he makes his long-awaited return to the ring tonight.

Ben Whittaker ahead of his bout against Petar Nosic in their International Light-Heavyweight contest at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Picture date: Saturday August 20, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story BOXING Jeddah. Photo credit should read: Nick Potts/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder..

The Olympic silver medallist faces Scotland’s Jordan Grant over six rounds at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena in his first fight for nearly nine months.

Whittaker has endured a frustrating time after suffering a shoulder injury in just his second professional contest last August.

But the 25-year-old, who has spent time in Florida with trainer Sugar Hill Steward, claims to be returning stronger than ever and is ready to prove it against Grant.

Whittaker said: “I’ll never lose what I have got. I’m flashy, I’m cheeky and I think at my weight not many people move like me.

“But this performance you will see some venomous, horrible shots.

“The main thing I have added is spite in my punches. I have definitely got it. When I dig them, I hurt people.

“My guilty pleasure is embarrassing people. I would rather go through a fight and make someone fall through the ropes and have a laugh with the crowd.

“But we are in the hurt business now. Sugar has been drilling it into me. If you can make the fight last 20 seconds, make it last 20 seconds rather than 12 rounds.

“I keep telling people winning is all that matters but I would be lying if I said I didn’t look for spectacular performances every time I step through the rope.

“You know I am going for the knockout, something juicy.”

Grant has won six out his nine fights and only been stopped once in his pro career.

Whittaker, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder after Tokyo 2020, stopped Greg O’Neill on his professional debut last July but looked visibly restricted when outpointing Petar Nosic a few weeks later.

“I don’t like to make excuses but if you watch that fight back, you can tell something wasn’t right,” he said.

“It was frustrating. I had plans to have about five fights in the first year to keep the momentum going.

“But these things happen in sport. The ball was rolling nicely after the debut. People were talking about the next big thing.

“But you see me now, I look sharp. I look juicy. On Saturday, you just need to sit and watch.

“I could have stayed in my room, ate rubbish and thought about giving up. But I know where I want to go. I want to be a world champion so I kept pushing through the dark days and now, I’m back.”