Ben Whittaker has long been compared to Prince Naseem Hamed, but the fast-rising British star has admitted he hadn't watched the Sheffield fighter until recently collaborating with Adidas.
Whittaker’s showboating style has impressed many within the boxing trade and fans of an older generation will see similarities between Whittaker and Hamed.
From the mid 1990s until his final fight in 2002, Hamed was one of the world’s best featherweights as he participated in many memorable battles.
A heavy-handed switch-hitter who relied on reflexes, Hamed’s style was nurtured from a young age by Brendan Ingle and although it wasn’t for everyone, it brought Hamed great success.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight card |
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Whittaker has adapted a similar approach during his short run as a professional so far, but the 2020 Olympic silver medalist has revealed the fighters he modelled his approach on as he gets ready to fight Liam Cameron, live on DAZN , on October 12.
"To be honest, I never watched Naz until I did the Adidas collab and I thought 'Oh, you know, Adidas collab. What can I do?’” said Whittaker when speaking to Talksport .
"My actual favourite boxer is Mario Kindelan. He beat Amir Khan in the Olympic final and he's a through-and-through boxer who did everything beautifully.
"And for me, that is the art of boxing and then when you go to professionals of course there is Thomas Hearn's, the Pernell Whittaker's."
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