Ben Whittaker blew out Benjamin Gbagi with a brutal first round stoppage in his return match to Birmingham.
The Olympic silver medalist had his German opponent down and out within 2 minutes and 15 seconds in the opening match at the NEC Arena.
Gabazi entered the ring as an unknown, but Whittaker immediately exposed that gap in class with ruthless and devastating precision.
Whittaker’s quick hands landed a flurry of shots, sending Gabazi crashing to the canvas. When he got up, he was sent off with a hard overhand right.
The win marked Whittaker’s debut with Matchroom Boxing, and he did so in impressive fashion.
Whittaker: Damn, you looked good.
“When you get sent off like that, you have to back up and that’s what I did,” Whittaker said on DAZN after the game.
“Andy (Lee) said in the locker room, ‘All you have to do is spar. Just go out there and work on the back of your shots and everything will be fine.’
Whittaker blasted Gabazi inside in the first round.
“And, oh my gosh, I looked fine. I could tell he was a gamer after all. I could see it in his eyes. This was an opportunity to change his life.
“But he gaffeped something in the press conference. ‘I have nothing to lose,’ he said. Well, I’m a guy who has everything to lose.”
Hearn: great performance
Whittaker’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “All I can say is it’s amazing. Sometimes people come into the arena and light up the place. But what’s important is what happens here, in the ring.”
“I know there are many levels to achieve above Gabbazi, but when you face that level you go and destroy it clinically and produce a showreel knockout that the whole world will watch next week.
“Millions of viewers are watching this truly special young man.”
