Ben Whittaker ready to pick up the pace in 2024
Darlaston Olympic hero Ben Whittaker is promising another clinical performance after securing his first fight of 2024.
The Toyko 2020 silver medallist faces French fighter Khalid Graidia at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, February 3, on the undercard of Dan Azeez and Joshua Buatsi’s clash for the British light-heavyweight title.
Whittaker, nicknamed The Surgeon, is aiming to pick up the pace of his professional career after moving to a perfect 5-0 record with last month’s fourth-round stoppage win over Stiven Dredhaj.
Graidia, 41, is a veteran of 28 bouts and took British champion Azeez the distance when they met in July last year.
“The Surgeon is back and ready to start 2024 with another clinical performance,” said Whittaker. “I’m putting the whole light- heavyweight division on notice. Another big year is on the way so don’t miss the start of it.”
Whittaker’s promoter, Ben Shalom, has predicted the 26-year-old could be fighting for major titles before the year is out.
He said: “This is the start to a huge year for Ben. He will bring his star power to an already massive night for the light-heavyweight division. Ben is a special talent and we expect to see him headlining shows and fighting for major titles this year.”
The undercard also features Adam Azim’s first European super- lightweight title defence against former champion Enock Poulsen. Featherweight prospect Francesca Hennessy and heavyweight Jeamie TKV are among others in action.
