- 2 days ago
FULL FIGHT! Ben Whittaker vs Leon Willings _ Light-heavyweight bout
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00:00The Champions League
00:02The Champions League
00:04The Champions League
00:06This is how a legend get made
00:08Blast off in the brave of the world
00:10Bring on the game, change the main champs like Vic
00:13Going on since I got to have much room
00:16All tight, are you ready for the ride of your life?
00:21Leon Willings has already made his way into the ring.
00:26Central area champion.
00:30And now for the arrival of Whittaker
00:33Here's Big Mo
00:44And now ladies and gentlemen
00:46Accompanied by members of the British Sensation Diversity
00:50Choreographed by Ashley Banjo
00:53Here is the drunken master
00:56Ben Whittaker
00:59Ben Whittaker
01:00Ben Whittaker
01:01Ben Whittaker
01:02Ben Whittaker
01:04Ben Whittaker
01:08I'm a great fan of the new music
01:10Let's go..
01:11We are ready to work
01:12Let's go into the room
01:13Remember this song is going on
01:14Let's go into the room
01:15Let's go into the room
01:16We are ready to work
01:18We are ready to work
01:19We are ready to work
01:20We are ready to work
01:21From the room
01:22I feel like I'm here
01:29I know
01:33I will come here
01:35I will come here
01:41Can you hear me?
01:44Oh, I'm so happy
01:52WHISTLE BLOWS
02:20Matt, early in his pro career, though he may be, there is already a sense of occasion about a Ben Whittaker fight.
02:28Definitely just looking around here, everyone's up with their phones.
02:32Like I say, his last fight went viral, the showboating.
02:35Like I say, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but a lot of people love it.
02:38Some hate it, but everyone's talking about it.
02:42Do you know what, Matt?
02:42As soon as he came up on the screen, I had a smile on my face.
02:46That's how you know he's drawing that interest.
02:506-0 so far.
02:56A destruction of Caligradia in his last fight.
03:01A stunning knockout just before Christmas.
03:06After a difficult start with injury, the train is really beginning to move.
03:20And it promises to be quite a journey.
03:25Ladies and gentlemen, this light heavyweight contest is promoted by Ben Shalom and Boxer and brought to you live worldwide on Sky Sports and NBC's Peacock.
03:41And brought to you by our headline partner, Bet365.
03:45And our official partners, Everlast, Integritous Property Group, Fastline Steel Services, Val Nutrition, and Car Finance 24-7.
03:55Scheduled for eight three-minute rounds in the light heavyweight division.
03:58Our referee in charge when the bell rings, Sean McAvoy.
04:01Let's meet the fighters.
04:03First, fighting out of the blue corner.
04:06We're in the blue trunks with white trim.
04:08He stands six feet tall.
04:10He weighed in at 12 stone, nine pounds, five ounces.
04:14He holds a near-perfect professional record of seven victories versus just one loss, with two of those wins coming by way of knockout.
04:23And he fights out of witness Cheshire, England, introducing the current reigning central area light heavyweight champion, Leon Willings.
04:37And his opponent, fighting out of the red corner, wearing the red trunks with white trim.
04:48He stands six feet, three inches tall.
04:51He weighed in at 12 stone, nine pounds.
04:54He holds a perfect undefeated record of six victories versus no defeats, with five of those wins coming by way of knockout.
05:05And he fights out of Darleston, West Midlands, England, introducing the Olympic silver medalist and the master of the drunken style, ladies and gentlemen, Ben the Surgeon Whitaker!
05:35OK, lads, A-brand contest, keep it clean at all times, keep it respect at all times, keep it respect at all times, touch gloves, here we go.
05:47Kavoy, the man in charge here.
05:50And there is Whitaker, just taking a seat on the rope there, testing it out, seeing how tense it is.
06:02Second round one.
06:04So into the first we go, they're scheduled for eight, Leon Willings in the blue, central area champion,
06:10won that with a really good performance against Jake Barton in Liverpool, boxing out of the away corner.
06:16He hasn't had too long to prepare for this, but he never strays too far from the gym and he was willing to step up.
06:24It's not easy to get people to fight Whitaker.
06:28The price has gone up again in most people's minds after what happened at the start of February, so matching him can be a tough job.
06:39Really? I've heard a few up-and-coming boxers calling him out.
06:45I don't know.
06:47So, but hey, I guess, like you said, they're looking for a certain calibre and, yeah, this is the fighter we've got, Leon Williams, central area champion.
06:59Jab to the chest there from Whitaker.
07:02A little fainting, seeing if he can draw something there from Willings.
07:13Some of the right-hand into the body, that went up top, but that's decent defense there from Willings, he was trapped in the corner,
07:18but just dipping at the waist managed to avoid the left hand that came in.
07:22Yeah, good work there though from Whitaker, targeting the body.
07:24Targeting the body, you know, take what he gives you, and he's doing that.
07:27Taking the body, jabs the body, straight right hand to the body.
07:30Then banging in that left hook, you already see there, the body.
07:34Red raw against, having that jab into the body.
07:42Nice, how we doing it?
07:44Yeah, I like Ben, Ben's very busy with his jab.
07:47Good luck!
07:48From about a thousand shots already.
07:50Good luck!
07:51Looking to chop down with the right hand, a glove touchdown there from Willings,
07:55so that would be counted as a knockdown.
07:57He was pinned back on the ropes, he was looking for the left hand to the body there, Whittaker.
08:01Then did just catch him with that chopping-down right hand.
08:06Willings just shaking his head as he realised the knockout was going to be given,
08:10then when boxing resumed, tried to climb into a left hook,
08:13but a reddening up on the left-hand side of the face as well as the ribcage,
08:17Whittaker picking his punch as well here.
08:20He's really digging him in now, just landed a lovely lift up to the body.
08:24Yeah, this is the fastest, most aggressive start I've seen from Ben Whittaker.
08:31There's been no prevarication here whatsoever, he's been straight into business.
08:38No standing off, no having a look, none of the showboating that we've seen previously in fights,
08:46he's just got straight down to the business of letting his hands go, strong right hand there again.
08:52Willings just trying to dip those knees and roll away from the left hand, he's trapped in the corner.
08:57Yeah, I think that guy that maybe called him out of the press conference has peed him off,
09:02because he's really firing at all cylinders.
09:06We're right to the end of the round there, we've got a little bit of what we've seen so far.
09:13Incredible reflexes, and then just dabbing that right hand into the body.
09:18Do not be on them ropes with him, kid, non-stop head movement, OK?
09:22Make him miss, make him pay, all right?
09:24You need to establish your jab, OK?
09:26Got a jab.
09:28Yeah, good hand speed from Whittaker, left hook to the body, working well for him.
09:38And with a good straight right hand there, yeah, chopped it down.
09:41Lovely variation with his opponent on the ropes, body, head.
09:48Yeah, I don't think, sorry, Leon's gonna go past three rounds, you know?
09:54It's a tough pass for him.
09:58He enjoys himself in there, Ben Whittaker, every single moment of it.
10:02Round two.
10:04And there is nothing wrong with showing off those skills,
10:07nothing wrong with showing off those reflexes.
10:10We had this discussion about said topic, the two of us, during the week,
10:14which I very much enjoyed.
10:16We may all get back to it at some point.
10:18A left hand there, though, does land from Williams as Whittaker was just trying to pull out.
10:22So he's got to be a little bit careful, he's got a strong left hook, Leon Willings.
10:27That might have been the first time I've seen him get hit with three shots, you know?
10:31It's good to see that from Willings opening up, not being so passive,
10:34but actually, you know, taking the initiative.
10:37Nice.
10:39You know, he's pinning on those ropes.
10:42The right hand's gonna come over the top of that jab.
10:45So it's okay making Whittaker miss, but then he's got to fire back as well.
10:55But that will have given Willings some confidence.
10:57Maybe caught Whittaker a little bit cold at the start of the round.
11:00Look for the uppercut with the left hand, then with the right.
11:02He's just beginning to open up a little bit here, Willings,
11:05which may be exactly what Whittaker wants, but it's making for a good spectacle.
11:10He landed a nice right uppercut there, Willings.
11:17Good long right hand, followed up by the left,
11:19but the glove was not what it needed to be there for Willings,
11:22to take some of the impact out of it.
11:24Ben's doing something really good when Willings is on the ropes.
11:29He's tapping him to the mid-area and then comes upstairs.
11:32It's really, really good.
11:33You can see the reddening on Willings' body already.
11:36And looking for that uppercut again there, Willings, in his game.
11:40You could tell that from watching his previous fights.
11:42And that left hand is quite dangerous because he throws it in a quite unorthodox manner.
11:46Good right hand is here, though, for Whittaker, as he throws four or five in a row.
11:50He can fling it up from the waist, from below the waist almost, down by his knee, Willings.
11:55He's taking the jump.
11:57He's taking the jump.
11:58He's taking the jump.
11:59He's taking the jump.
12:01He's taking the jump.
12:02Go on.
12:03Get off the rope, Lee.
12:05There's the shot to the body again.
12:07Taps downstairs and comes upstairs.
12:09Really good stuff by Ben Willings.
12:12Lovely right hand.
12:13Yeah, I was not sure, I had just measured in with the lead, left hand, then chucked it down.
12:17Get this jumper with Lee.
12:18Come on, lad.
12:20Yes, lad.
12:21Again, just climbs into that left hand.
12:23It's a strange, unorthodox kind of style that he throws it with.
12:28Whittaker getting back to the jab, to the body.
12:31He's winning this round, Whittaker, but Willings has had a much better round than he had in the first round
12:35and it'll be giving him plenty of confidence if he can finish it well in this last 30 seconds.
12:39Definitely a much better round for Willings, landed some good shots.
12:44And he's starting to have a little razzle-dazzle as well with the hands down.
12:47And, you know, it looks like he's getting a bit more confident.
12:51He's getting a bit more confident.
12:52He's getting a bit more confident.
12:53He's getting a bit more confident.
12:54He's getting a bit more confident.
12:55Into the final ten seconds.
12:57And he's settled here, Willings.
13:00You always wonder whether fighters will handle this kind of stage when they take to it for
13:04the first time.
13:05Slip time, slip time.
13:18Every time.
13:19Okay?
13:20Don't leave that jab out to dry.
13:21Okay?
13:22Just pop-shotting.
13:23Don't be holding on him.
13:24Okay?
13:25Pop-shot.
13:26Beating and pop-shotting.
13:27Okay?
13:28Yeah?
13:29That was a lot better round.
13:30Slip-bang.
13:31Play him at his own game.
13:32Non-stop head.
13:33Okay?
13:34Keep breaking him down jab.
13:35Head and body.
13:36Okay?
13:37This jab, man.
13:38This jab is money.
13:39Okay?
13:40Into the body is money.
13:41Into the chest is money.
13:42Okay?
13:43Work that jab.
13:44Joby Clayton.
13:45Leading that corner with Ben Whittaker.
13:46There's a QR code.
13:47Give that a scan.
13:48Get involved viewers verdict.
13:49Okay?
13:50And the live log as always.
13:51Breaking him down.
13:52Sounds out.
13:53Round three.
13:54Keep going about the business of breaking him down and that's what you have to do in any
13:57fight.
13:58If you want that finish you have to earn it.
13:59It's always possible you can catch somebody cold at one.
14:01They're not ready for, they're not braced for early in a fight but you can't ever bank on that.
14:23Whittaker certainly hasn't here.
14:25He's gone about his business in a very purposeful fashion.
14:29But Willing showed us something in that second round, didn't he, Dan?
14:32No, he did.
14:33Like I said, he was getting a bit more confident.
14:36Didn't win the round but was definitely had a better round.
14:41Yeah.
14:42But Whittaker's just teeing off on Willing on the ropes.
14:45Good one too there from Whittaker.
14:46Willing's trying to get off the ropes, eventually does.
14:49Behind that left hand, he recognised that that was not where he needed to be.
14:54He found the range well there Whittaker.
14:57Right hand comes back there from Willing's and Whittaker I think is enjoying this.
15:01Having somebody in front of him who is really looking to try and throw back him.
15:05A little bit of a flash move there from Willing's.
15:07He turned southpaw, turned square and then kind of threw in a long left uppercut.
15:14Yeah, I heard in the corner Willing's coach telling him beat him at his own game.
15:18So maybe we might see a bit of showboating for Willing's.
15:22Good side right hands again there for Whittaker as he's got Willing's backed up to the ropes.
15:27But he's taken these well so far to witness visor.
15:30That doesn't mean you can take them forever.
15:32But he hasn't shown any ill effects of tasting the power of Whittaker.
15:39Poor right hand.
15:40Body working, body.
15:42Keep working, last. Keep working two years.
15:46Don't be holding, last.
15:48Oh, he makes me laugh.
15:50Come on, Speed, let's go.
15:51Just trying to point out me whilst he's in the room.
15:53What a funny guy.
15:54Willing's just offering in that head almost there, then launches in with the left.
16:00And he's making Whittaker work here.
16:03Right hand over the top, landed on the back of the head, put on the left hand, got through.
16:11He's growing in confidence as well.
16:13Can he let him talk to his coach?
16:16Jeez.
16:17And Whittaker with the long right hand, gets through and he's trying to put Willing's under some pressure in the corner here.
16:22But Willing's just rocking and rolling there, managed to get out of trouble.
16:30Back on you, Jack! Come on, work!
16:32Look inside, Jack, let's go!
16:36He's got narrow on the right eye.
16:38On the corner of the right eye.
16:40From one of those right hands, you would imagine.
16:42Has a little bit of a wild swing at Whittaker, who shimmies in front of him.
16:46Playing there, Matador to the ball, but Willing's does manage to get hold of him too.
16:51To a degree.
16:52And I like this from Leon Willing's, because when Whittaker is trying to do that kind of thing, he won't have it.
16:58He's defiant, he's trying to slip outside the jab there, trying to fire back with the right hand.
17:03He's fired off here.
17:05He's unloading there, which got both hands, but, you know, the defences of Willing's pretty good there.
17:24Not too many getting through cleanly.
17:27No, but the ones that did land, they did look quite...
17:31The body shots particularly, I think, were good.
17:33Yeah.
17:34No, it's right hand for Willing's, and I've got to finish off.
17:46He's come to take partly on Willing's.
17:47He hasn't come here just to be a spectator in the Ben Whittaker show, and that's exactly what Whittaker would have wanted.
17:53Talking to the Willing's corner, he had a good chance of you looking outside of the ropes.
17:57But Willing's won't give him much time to do that, as soon as he sees him going off on that kind of kill to Matt,
18:04Ben Willing sees that almost as his invitator.
18:06Right, okay, maybe you're not 100% concentrated here, here I come.
18:10Yeah, the first three rounds have been interesting, to say the least.
18:14Look, Ben Whittaker's on top, but he hasn't had it all his own way.
18:17Willing's certainly landed some good shots.
18:20And has got out the way of the shots going.
18:23Jeez.
18:24Willing's just turning it with the right hand there, then catches Whittaker with the left,
18:27as Whittaker was just on his way back out.
18:30Willing took it well, though.
18:32He did take it well.
18:34Another right there from Willing's.
18:36Whittaker probably would do well to just get back on the jab here, body and head,
18:40go up and down like he was at the start of the fight,
18:43and just try and go about the process once again of working his opponent over,
18:48because he's just got a bit of wind in his sails here, Leon Willing,
18:51and Whittaker needs to take it out, basically.
18:54Definitely, and get back to the jab to the body, straight right hands to the head,
18:58left hook to the body, put those combinations together and, yeah, put out the fire
19:03that Leon Willing's has managed to create.
19:13And he is a bigger touch, more circumspect in this fourth round.
19:16So far at least, Whittaker, just fainting with that front foot,
19:19looking to keep it at distance, jab to the chest.
19:22He's just looking to reset here, and try and re-establish that absolute dominance
19:29that he had in the first round.
19:31Wow.
19:32Yeah, it looks like Ben slowed down a bit.
19:35I don't know, maybe he's just trying to, like I said,
19:38show that, yeah, set the dominance in the round,
19:43but yeah, he ain't thrown as much.
19:48I think he needs to be mindful of what's coming back at him,
19:50because, you know, Willing has, you know, fired back the straight right hand,
19:54slipped outside the jab, and Whittaker came back with the right hand.
19:57Sometimes they jump in, lead left, uppercut.
20:00So he's got to be mindful of what's coming back at him.
20:03And he's getting more confident with the shoulder roll as well when he's on the rope.
20:06He's rolling a few right hands.
20:09Just stuck it his way in there, Willings, and tried to let that right hand go.
20:14There wasn't quite enough room for it by the time he did.
20:17This has been a quieter round from the pair of them, spearing out that jab there, Whittaker.
20:26Looking for a big overhand right there, Willings.
20:30Stay on it, big man.
20:38Good job from Neil.
20:39Try the pressure with the jab, good.
20:44Good lad.
20:45Nice right hand counter there from Whittaker.
20:47Keep applying the pressure with the jab.
20:53Nice.
20:54He's trying to chop down with that right hand again,
20:56because he has got a habit of dipping quite low at the waist, Willings.
21:00And you have to make that adjustment.
21:04Neil's defence is quite good.
21:07He's rolling, he's ducking, he's doing a shoulder roll.
21:12He's making it a bit more harder for Ben to land these flurries.
21:17He's looking not better now.
21:22Corners, 10 seconds.
21:28Second out.
21:29Round five.
21:33So into the fifth, into the second half of this, scheduled for eight.
21:37Ben Whittaker.
21:40Unpig silver medallist.
21:42Very highly rated prospect, he's in the red and white.
21:45I said it weren't going to go past three.
21:47He was doing all right.
21:49Absolutely, he is.
21:50He is.
21:51And I said towards the beginning that you don't know when somebody steps up onto this kind of stage,
21:55particularly when they're faced with a character like Whittaker,
21:58whether they will be able to handle it, Matt, or whether they will freeze.
22:02You just don't know until the first spell goes.
22:05It was a torrid first round, but in the second round, he gambled a bit, didn't he?
22:10And that shows that he's got some bottle as well as some ability.
22:13Yeah, I think he took some clean shots, he got the knockdown, but I think he thought,
22:17you know what, I can live with that power.
22:18I think the speed has troubled him and the variety at times from Whittaker,
22:22but I think he's felt the power and thought, no, I can cope with that.
22:27And he's got a little bit bolder in times as the fight's gone.
22:31You know, that said, Whittaker has won every round, clearly,
22:34but he's certainly been competitive, Willings.
22:38But when Whittaker's really struggling to land that right hand now,
22:42it looks like Willings is rolling them with ease, he's getting more and more confident.
22:47You mentioned it, Dan, and his defence, particularly on the ropes, has been good
22:53because he tucks his chin in behind that shoulder and uses that roll
22:57and not all that much has got through clean.
22:59And when the right hand has landed, he's been pulled right onto his back foot,
23:02so the sting's kind of gone out of it, mostly by the time it's landed.
23:06Yes, look, missed the right hand there again.
23:14Lovely upper car.
23:17Just capable, Willings, of coming back with something.
23:20Whittaker sticking to the task, right hand then left into the body,
23:23lands one to the body, Willings comes back.
23:26There's a good left hook there from Willings then,
23:28Whittaker lands a lovely straight right hand.
23:32Oh, two right hands right there.
23:36I have to really give credit to Lyon's defence there.
23:40Ben's going to have to come up with something else,
23:42and he just pops in a cheeky uppercut there.
23:45He showed a good chin as well, Willings,
23:47because he did take that right hand flush.
23:50Ben Whittaker's showing a good chin also,
23:52he's been caught with a few clean shots as well.
23:56Look, two left hooks there, and just pops his head in front of Lyon.
24:01Just swaggering forward, Whittaker, looking to launch that left hand.
24:08Rolls another right hand.
24:11Sorry, I'm just in awe of how he's rolling them right hands.
24:14Good shoulder roll.
24:16Lovely left hook too.
24:17Whittaker on face, looks to try, let his own hands go a little bit into the final ten seconds of round five.
24:27Lyon is definitely getting more and more confident.
24:30It's making Ben miss, and he's landing shots.
24:36It's been an enjoyable watch this one so far.
24:38It hasn't, Willings has grown confidence as the fight's gone on,
24:40and Whittaker's won every round for me, clearly, but Willings has got better as the fight's gone on.
24:47I'll admit I did fear for Lyon Willings a little bit this week,
24:50because it's just such a big step up in every single way,
24:55and as I said, you don't know how somebody will react if you never want any fighter
25:00who's bold enough to take that kind of step to have it turn into a really regrettable experience,
25:08and that is not what has happened here.
25:11No, but I looked at Lyon's record, and he's had some decent fights against decent opposition.
25:16He's won an area title, and I really respect the area titles,
25:21because you're always fighting someone who's of the same ilk as you.
25:25So the occasion might have got to him, but he's definitely been in there
25:28in, like, 50-50 fights or, you know, fights he might not have even been touted to win,
25:35so he's definitely showing what he's made of, for sure.
25:39And he's only 23 years of age himself.
25:41It's a baby.
25:46People will ask the question, though, Matt, if this goes the distance,
25:49and that question will be should Ben Whittaker be dealing with an area-level fighter
25:56in better fashion than this given the talent that he has and what people think he could go on to achieve.
26:03I think the thing with Ben Whittaker is he's not a massive puncher.
26:06Yeah, I know he scored some good knockouts, but that's because he's timed the shots nicely
26:10and walked the monster shots. I don't think he's a massive puncher.
26:14I think he's a very slick boxer, very skillful, sharp, and so, you know, he is gonna box people
26:21that maybe he's not gonna get them out of there as quick as people would normally think that he would,
26:26but I think you'll see the best of Ben Whittaker when he's in with somebody where it's like a 50-50 fight.
26:32I think that's when he'll really see him shine.
26:34Don't let him push you back!
26:37Heading into the final minute of round six.
26:40And again, he's not looked to be too expansive in this round, Whittaker,
26:43doubling up with a jab to the body, then up to the head,
26:45and Willings, I think, is happy enough to almost agree to a round-off here to an extent.
26:53Because he's been boxing good paces, isn't it?
26:55No, very good pace.
26:57Keep the pressure on him.
26:59Keep the pressure on him.
27:01Keep the pressure on him.
27:02Keep the pressure on him.
27:03Come on, man.
27:04Side to side, pull down the attack too far.
27:06You're doing all the working around, you're letting the shots go,
27:09and the other guy's just kind of surviving, looking after himself,
27:13but then kind of ambushes you with a burst once around.
27:16Do you know what I mean?
27:17I'm not gonna say it's easy to do that against someone like Ben Whittaker, it isn't,
27:21but it's Ben Whittaker's winning the rounds, he's initiating the attacks,
27:24he's putting the work in.
27:26Willings is on the back foot, and every now and then he'll open up with a burst,
27:29but he can't sustain it to win the round.
27:33That's a good one, Whittaker.
27:34This is good for Whittaker, really concussive use of the jab for about ten seconds before that.
27:39They let his hands go a little bit.
27:41The positioning is a lot better, yeah? He doesn't like going backwards, we know that.
27:58Don't let him be super flat forward. You go forward. Your foot positioning was a lot better.
28:04Keep creeping forward with head movement. Don't just be walking forward double-guarded.
28:10I want you like this. Counter punching on the front foot, okay? Yeah? He's feeling that now.
28:16He's hit you with his best walking shot, didn't you feel, yeah? Okay? I want you on this front foot.
28:21Teach it to him now.
28:23Terry Spencer leading the corner there, those two have been together from the start of Willings' career,
28:28boxing out of title shot, please see and witness.
28:32Go to ten seconds.
28:34Yeah, it's interesting to hear his coach telling him to take the front foot and try and push Ben back.
28:39Second turn.
28:40I'd like to see if he actually listens and tries to take more of the front foot in this round.
28:46So into the seventh, Whittaker in the white and red, Willings in the blue and white.
28:55Nice! Quality pressure!
28:57Tried to time the right hand over the top of the jab there, Whittaker.
29:08That's the quality pressure, come on!
29:10I think if Willings is more aggressive and comes forward, that'll be better for Whittaker.
29:16I think, like I said, he's not the heaviest single-punch hitter,
29:20but he's sharp, he's a good counter-puncher, and he walks you onto a shot that you don't see.
29:24That's how he scores his knockouts.
29:26But if a guy's gonna be on the back foot, surviving, it's harder for him to get the knockouts.
29:34He just switched out for briefly there, Willings.
29:37Again, just manages to roll under a couple on the ropes, but then did catch a couple.
29:41I think he's beginning to feel this a bit, Leon Willings.
29:46I think those resistance levels are beginning to drop.
29:50Because he's taken plenty of clean punches, and as I said, you can't necessarily take them forever.
29:55You can feel the power and be confident that it's not just going to completely take you out,
30:00but the cumulative effect is what we're seeing now.
30:03And he's hardly coming back with anything, so it seems like it's only a matter of time now.
30:11And in these last three or four rounds, he's gone back to basics, really, Whittaker.
30:14He made a very good, strong start.
30:16Then they had a little bit of a tear-up, really, in rounds two and three,
30:19and Willings played a good, good part in that.
30:21But from four onwards, Whittaker has gone back to that jab mostly, throwing that one-two,
30:27just believing that over time that will break his opponent down and put them in a position where maybe he can get the finish.
30:34But will he not to tonight?
30:36You don't always judge a fight's merits on whether you get the stoppage or not, Matt.
30:41I think he'll be happy to get eight good rounds in the back here.
30:46Yeah, I think so.
30:47Willings has been competitive.
30:50He's landed some good shots, he's made Whittaker think.
30:54Whittaker's landed some good shots himself, and he's been dominant.
30:59Nah, he definitely won't be happy if it goes the distance.
31:02He wants another highlight Instagram drill, and he wants something to get loads of views on.
31:07This isn't gonna get him that, and, yeah, I'm pretty sure he'll wanna get the knockout.
31:12I'd expect it.
31:13Yeah, but you ain't gonna get those every time, Dan, as you know.
31:17And Willings just looking for the uppercut, Dan.
31:19Whittaker standing a little bit closer, good left hand there from Willings,
31:23and then swings himself off his feet, looking great.
31:25Huge left hook, Whittaker just managing to pull back out of range,
31:29but, again, he's still got that fight in him, Willings.
31:32I didn't wonder whether it was slowly leaving him, but not a bit of it.
31:37He landed a quick, few clean shots, nice left hook there,
31:41but he's just not throwing enough of it.
31:43I think he's happy with making Ben miss, but he's just not coming back with anything.
31:52One more.
31:54Calm yourself.
31:55Okay?
31:58When you let the work go, you gotta make it miss afterwards, big man.
32:02Okay?
32:07Calm yourself.
32:08All right, I see.
32:09At first, I can't wait, good well.
32:11You see, Willings?
32:16You know, Tristan Wilder on the left, but...
32:19He's not intimidated by Whittaker, he's...
32:21...has joined enough to win any of these rounds,
32:23but every now and then he'll open up with an eye-catching burst, mate,
32:24which keeps him in the fight.
32:25Although, Whittaker...
32:27Look, go ahead.
32:29This might be a bit of a reach, but if it does go to points...
32:33This might be a bit of a reach, but if it does go to points,
32:38Ben does win, I can imagine Leon going home after it and thinking,
32:42oh, I could have actually given this guy a run for his money,
32:46you know, because he's not doing that bad, he's just not doing enough.
32:51You make a good point there.
32:56Because that's what fighters always do, isn't it?
32:59He'll never really satisfied and although he'll take a lot of pride
33:04if he gets through to the end of the fight here with the way that he has boxed,
33:08the way that he has fought, the way that he has dug in,
33:11he will, I'm sure, think along those lines in the coming days
33:15and it'll be very interesting to see what he goes on to do from here.
33:18He's targeting an English title, I know that Ricky Summers is defending that
33:22against Troy James before too long.
33:25Whittaker just going for a little walk away to our right-hand side
33:29and then in the final two minutes, I think we'll look to try and click
33:32through the gears as much as he can and see if he can get that stoppage.
33:36It doesn't look likely at the moment.
33:39He got that knocked down in the opening round, but since then,
33:42Willings has swung himself up his feet in that previous round,
33:45but other than that, he hasn't really looked particularly hurt by any single punch at any point.
33:52I'm actually a bit let down, you know, expecting more dancing, more showboring.
34:01Yeah, maybe the level of opposition, you know, the height goes maybe that, you know, drops,
34:08all that drop from Ben Whittaker. I was looking forward to seeing some new moves,
34:14that lovely one-two on the ropes.
34:15Well, we've seen a little bit of that, but...
34:16Nah, not enough, not enough.
34:17Willings hasn't really allowed him to do it to an extent, and I do think that he's come here tonight with a real sense of purpose,
34:18Wittaker.
34:19to break his opponent down and just be all business.
34:23He did say that yesterday after the way into Andy Scott, but then he says,
34:26he says,
34:28he says,
34:29he says,
34:30he says,
34:31he says,
34:32he says,
34:33he says,
34:34he says,
34:35Nah, you know, the followers, the viewers, you know, everyone on the Ben Whittaker bandwagon, we come to see dancing,
34:50humiliation, have a laugh, do you know what I mean? We ain't come to see this.
35:07Final few seconds, and Willings looking to try and let that left hand go again, looking out of the ring there,
35:24Willings just dips and throws that a bit out of the right, and that was a decent shot.
35:29Whittaker trying to counter with the right hand, there goes a 10 second clapper, this is going to go all the way to the final belt,
35:39Whittaker with a nice stiff jab there, but Willings is going to finish the fight, back and Ben Whittaker up to the ropes,
35:44and Ben Whittaker has won that fight, but Leon Willings has shown us plenty in there coming in at short notice,
35:50so I absolutely tip my hat to him.
35:53No, for sure.
35:54Viewing on from ringside, what did you make of that whole thing?
35:58Do you know what, I was really pleased with Leon, his defence, he done really well, but I think because he's probably been,
36:06you know, tipped as the underdog, he's never going to win or not, that probably might have got in his head,
36:11and he just thought, you know what, I'm just going to survive, if I can go the round, I've won in that sense,
36:16do you know what I mean? And Ben Whittaker, I guess, yeah, he got some rounds under his belt,
36:21but like I said, I think he would have been happy to have got a highlight reel again, but he didn't get that tonight,
36:27so on to the next one.
36:29Overall, were you expecting more from him?
36:33Yeah, like I said, more dances, more showboating, you know, I thought I would be laughing a bit more,
36:38but yeah, it was kind of like, you know, it was a 70-30 fight.
36:44I said it right at the very beginning, basically because people have talked about it,
36:48when would he be ready necessarily for somebody like you, we always want fighters like Whittaker,
36:54the public, want them to move really, really quickly, you've got a big smile on your face there,
36:57and it tells me that from what you've seen tonight, you know that there is a lot of work to be done over in that corner,
37:03and I'm sure they realised that before they could get in with you.
37:06No, for sure, do you think he's ready to get in there with the likes of me?
37:10No, personally, I didn't, and you can't skip levels, can you?
37:15He's got outstanding pedigree, we all know that, but it's like doing exams, isn't it?
37:19You learn the syllabus in the gym, you do the exam on the fight night,
37:22and if you try and jump from GCSE level to PhD, well, the odd genius can do that,
37:27but everybody else, you've got to do it, you've got to go through those fights.
37:30So basically, you're saying Ben's not the genius you lot have been hyped up to be.
37:34Aziz, you're trying to get me into trouble here, you're trying to get me into trouble,
37:38I'm saved by the MC, here's Big Mo.
37:45Ladies and gentlemen, after eight full rounds,
37:47we go to referee Sean McAvoy for the official decision.
37:50He sees the contest, 78 to 73, declaring your winner, and still undefeated, Ben!
37:59The surgeon Whittaker!
38:07And Ben Whittaker posing the pictures with Leon Willings,
38:11a shake of hands between the two,
38:14and the away corner fighter there has shown us plenty,
38:17and as I said, we will watch with interest to see what he goes on to do next.
38:20The Whittaker train will keep rolling forward, those were eight good rounds for him,
38:25and we'll be hearing from him shortly.
38:27Ben, congratulations, well done, eight very useful rounds at this stage of your career,
38:32how do you reflect on your performance?
38:33Yeah, firstly, congratulations to Leon Willings,
38:37brought the fight, dropped him in the first round, I thought,
38:39ooh, shall I get him?
38:41I had seven rounds left, went back to the jab, disciplined performance,
38:45things to work on, but I broke him down, and looked good while doing it.
38:48Yeah, you guys will go away and talk about the positives, we're hypercritical, aren't we?
38:52He caught you more than anybody has at this stage of your career,
38:55is that something that, you know, any concern at all?
38:59Nah, kind of let him hit me, if I'm honest, you see me standing there, that's all.
39:03I've got a very good chin, people think because I dance around,
39:06I made them miss, I can't take a shot.
39:08I can take shots, so I just wanted to show that.
39:10Injury-free?
39:11Injury-free, ready to go next week.
39:13Hopefully, see you again soon.
39:14Thank you very much, thank you for everybody coming out.
39:16Happy Easter, and 2024 is the Surgeon's Year, baby, let's go!
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