- Whittaker punched a hole in the wall after his split-decision draw on Saturday
- The Olympic silver medalist was unable to continue after injuring his ankle
- But a former world champion questioned the legitimacy of Whittaker’s injury
Ben Whittaker vented his frustrations after his controversial split-decision draw against Liam Cameron by punching a hole in the wall.
The light heavyweight match between Whittaker and Cameron came to a bizarre end in the fifth round after the pair tumbled over the top rope and onto the ring apron.
Although Cameron got back to his feet and was ready to continue, Whittaker was injured and required medical attention on his right foot.
The Olympic silver medalist was then taken from the venue in a wheelchair.
With the 27-year-old unable to continue, the scorecards were used to decide the fight as one judge handed the score 58-57 to Whittaker, the other awarded the score 58-57 to Cameron and the third scored the score 58-58 .
Whittaker punched a hole in the wall backstage in Saudi Arabia after his split-decision draw
Whittaker and Cameron tumbled over the top rope in the fifth round of their fight
Although Cameron was able to continue, Whittaker could not and required medical attention
Cameron’s frustration with the result was palpable after the fight, as he felt Whittaker ‘didn’t want to do it anymore’ once the tide had turned in the former’s favour.
Whittaker had started the fight bright, but began to fade as Cameron continually absorbed his best punches and countered with his own.
But it seems Whittaker was just as annoyed as Cameron after a photo from DAZN showed him punching a hole in a wall backstage.
The result marked the first time Whittaker had not won in his professional career, having recorded eight wins prior to Saturday’s fight.
Whittaker has also been incredibly active this year, with his draw against Cameron marking his fourth time in the ring in 2024.
However, due to his alleged ankle injury, it may be some time before Whittaker steps between the ropes again.
Whittaker was also advised by former world champion Johnny Nelson to be particularly careful in how he describes the injury to the public, given its questionable nature.
“Now I’m a massive Ben Whittaker fan,” Nelson told Sky Sports.
The Olympic silver medalist was subsequently wheeled from the arena due to the injury
After a fast start, the tide slowly started to turn against Whittaker when Cameron turned him on
Cameron was frustrated that Whittaker could not continue and thought he had taken an easy way out
‘I have praised him all the time but he needs to watch the replay before saying anything to anyone about the injury.
“We’ve looked at it over and over again and we haven’t seen that right ankle hit anything. We thought it was his back. There needs to be some explanation around it.
“It seems like he was trying to find a way out and I hate to say that.”