Ben Whittaker has welcomed the “target on my back” after a knockout victory on Sunday night and is ready to “embarrass more people”.
Whittaker needed just four rounds to defeat Stiven Leonetti on his return to Bournemouth, the venue that hosted his professional debut back in July 2022.
The 2020 Olympic silver medallist was already being called out for his next event in the build-up to Sunday’s victory, with undercard fighter Lewis Edmondson saying he wants the fight “any time, any place, anywhere”.
Whittaker has told Sky Sports News the attention from his rivals only motivates him more.
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Lewis Edmondson said he’s ready for Ben Whittaker ‘anytime, anywhere’, calling out his in-ring showboating as ‘disrespectful to the sport’ of boxing
“At the end of the day, the way I present myself, the way I talk, the target on my back with Sky Sports backing me, there’s going to be a lot of eyes and a lot of people calling me out,” said the light-heavyweight star.
“That’s what I like, competition, healthy competition.
“It get’s that fire in your belly and allows me to hopefully embarrass more people.”
After an injury-stricken year reduced Whittaker to only three bouts, he hopes to push towards title fights in 2024 and “become one of the faces of British boxing”.
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Whittaker knocked out Stiven Leonetti Dredhaj in the fourth round in Bournemouth
“I finished the year the right way, bit of a nuisance the stop and start, built like the tin man right now,” he said.
“Hopefully 2024 is an active year for myself… another year of winning, performing and to keep putting myself out there.
“Step by step, we’re going to get there, and with Sky Sports, my team, it’s looking good.”