When Ben Whittaker stood on the second step of the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Briton appeared as low as he had ever been since he took up the gloves.
Now, three years later, the light-heavyweight contender is looking to extend his unbeaten professional record when he joins the glittering list of names on a Riyadh Season bill.
Whittaker will square off with countryman Liam Cameron on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol this weelend at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, which will be broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per View, which you can purchase here.
Ahead of another crucial encounter in his legacy, DAZN takes a look back at Whittaker's career so far, in The Journey, ahead of his next blockbuster clash.
Whittaker vs. Cameron fight card |
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From then...
For those in the know, Whittaker hasn't exactly come from nowhere. A two-time national amateur champion in Great Britain, he has always felt like a man in the ascendancy.
He rose through the ranks and became a key figure in various national squads - a EU Championships player for England here, a European Games star for Team GB there.
At the former, in the Spanish city of Valladolid in 2018, he took gold in the light-heavyweight division, at the same event where Frazer Clarke led the super-heavyweight division.
Yet near misses were to mark his subsequent steps - a silver at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, then bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Yekaterinburg.
When he finally made it to Tokyo 2020, one year after the Olympic Games were forced back by the Covid-19 pandemic, he was determined to finally reach the top step again.
But he was outfoxed by Cuba's Arlen López in the final, forced to settle for silver as he lost on four of the five scorecards from the judges in Japan.
On the podium step, Whittaker was clearly unhappy, and famously pocketed his medal rather than wear it around his neck during the presentations.
"You don't win silver, you lose gold," he said at the time. "I'm very disappointed. I just felt a failure and unable to celebrate a silver medal.
"When I look back in a few years, it will probably feel like a great achievement, but I was so upset that I couldn't enjoy it."
...to now
If Whittaker is not yet able to look back on his Olympic story with pride, then he can certainly take plenty from his professional performance so far since he quit amateur status.
With an unbeaten 8-0 record, including three knockouts, since he first fought in July 2022, he has established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in a generation.
A comfortable second-round KO against Greg O'Neil on debut in Bournemouth paved the way for his first professional bout abroad, when he headed out to Saudi Arabia.
There, he took a unanimous decision against Petar Nosic on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua's second bout in Jeddah, to further bolster his reputation.
Further wins against Jordan Grant, Vladimir Belujsky and Stiven Dredhaj across 2023 only enhanced his power, but it was the start of 2024 where his stock went supersonic.
Whittaker became a viral sensation after his knockout win over Khalid Graidia at London's OVO Arena in February, buoyed by his characteristic power and showboating turns.
James Chance/Getty Images
"I've been doing this style since I was a kid and out of nowhere my socials all went crazy," Whittaker told BBC Sport at the time.
"You can't complain, it is good, but I'm just being myself. I won't change for no-one and as long as I get the job done that's all that matters."
No knockout has followed since - two fights with Leon Willings and Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka have gone the distance - but with Riyadh in his sights, The Surgeon is on bullish form.
And what could be next down the line? A potential fight with Chris Eubank Jr. has been mooted - and Whittaker admits he wouldn't refuse it.
"If the money's there, sign me up," he told Sky Sports News back in August on the prospect. "I'm bigger, I'm younger, I'm fresher. I wouldn't turn it down."
Watch Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron on DAZN
Watch Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron plus the whole Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight card on DAZN Pay-Per-View, which also includes Fabio Wardley, Frazer Clarke, Chris Eubank Jr, Jai Opetaia and Skye Nicolson all fighting.
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