Ben Whittaker tore into Liam Cameron to end their rematch in just the second round.
It was a rapid conclusion that came with lightning speed. A long countering right from Whittaker shook up Cameron.
The Sheffield man tottered back and Whittaker did not hesitate. He drove in punches as he hammered Cameron against the ropes. Cameron was on his feet, but he wasn’t firing back and referee Howard Foster waved it off at 1:53 of the second round
Whittaker’s rivalry with Cameron had ignited after the extraordinary end to their first fight. In October, when they were boxing in Riyadh, they had both tumbled over the top rope and fallen out of the ring.
Whittaker stopped Cameron in two rounds
Injured, Whittaker did not continue and drew with Cameron on a technical decision.
It left the Olympic silver medallist hounded by questions as to whether he should or could have continued, and whether he even deserved the drawn result.
He went into his Easter Sunday rematch with Cameron determined to answer those questions and silence all his doubters once and for all.
The anticipation ahead of the rematch was palpable in the atmosphere in the arena. Cameron’s humility had won him new support and they were great cheers for him in Birmingham. Whittaker had loud support too, but there were some boos for the flashy stylist, renowned for his showboating, amongst the roar that greeted his arrival.
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Ben Whittaker serenaded by Sheffield Community Choir ahead of eagerly-awaited rematch with Liam Cameron
Cameron came out of his corner to land the first jab. But Whittaker fired out rapid lefts and lined up a cross to the body.
He couldn’t resist a brief showboat in the first round, waving to the crowd once Cameron had charged past him.
After right hooks and his left had whizzed into the target, Whittaker could finish the first round with a smile.
Whittaker provided his answer to the controversy of the first fight
Cameron pushed himself on to the front foot and kept coming on, looking to close Whittaker down.
He shrugged off a right to the body, and his left hook to the body let him land a right to Whittaker’s head.
But Whittaker would strike back to wobble Cameron and unleashed his attack to prompt the referee to end it.
“Fair play to Liam, we spoke in the ring and he said nobody has ever hit him like that,” Whittaker said.
“What happened in Saudi needed to happen. I’m still flashy, I’m still swaggy but when I came in here I was disciplined.
“And now people know I can hit.”
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Ben Whittaker stuck his head through the ropes and celebrated in the faces of the Liam Cameron’s corner moments after winning by a spectacular knockout in the second round
He had celebrated wildly, cupping a glove round his ear at the crowd and rushing over to Cameron’s corner, which led to an ill-tempered exchange.
“They are portraying me as a bad guy, but I work very hard, I was roaring like a lion,” he said afterwards. “If a bit of dribble came out, dribble came out.”
Watch Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn on Saturday live on Sky Sports Box Office.
