‘This is everything for me’ – Liam Cameron out to snatch Ben Whittaker’s ‘stardom’ from him in bitter rematch
LIAM CAMERON is out to snatch Ben Whittaker’s stardom from him in their bitter rematch.
The pair look to settle their score on Easter Sunday in Birmingham – six months on from their controversial draw in Saudi Arabia.
In Riyadh, the bout prematurely went to the judges scorecards after five rounds when the pair went over the top rope.
Injured Whittaker was unable to continue – with many feeling Cameron was on the road to an upset.
Already Cameron won over a legion of fans with his humble approach compared to cocksure showboater Whittaker.
And Cameron told Ariel Helwani: “This is life-changing for me. This is mega, mega-stardom for me in my own head. This is everything for me.
“This is, in a way, life or death in boxing. Do you know what it is? It’s one fight at a time [but] this is how much I want to win this fight — if I could win [just] one more [fight] in my life, and lose every single one of them [after that], it’d be this one.”
Whittaker was accused of QUITTING after being pulled out before the halfway mark.
And Cameron said: “I can remember thinking, I’m going to start [going through the gears], he’s unraveling — I’m going to stop him.
“So I [stepped on the] gas a bit and hit him with some body shots, and he fell off balance, and he’s falling [onto] me.
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“Then he’s hitting me low, he’s holding a lot, he’s spitting his gum shield out, and [the fall out of the ring] just happened so fast.
“It’s like when you’re having a hard spar sometimes, it’s horrible, [isn’t] it? And you’re tired — and that’s what it [was] like for Ben.
“He didn’t want [any] part [of the fight], his emotions got to him, he [was] looking all over.
“I study body language and stuff — I watched everything of that fight, and he [was] like a rabbit in the headlights. Even in [the] corner, he got [the] shock of his life.”
Controversy has also surrounded the rematch too.
Cameron revealed he was sent a contract for a 12-round bout while Whittaker’s was for ten.
Promoter Ben Shalom appeared to suggest the dispute had been resolved via financial compensation towards Cameron.
But the former Commonwealth middleweight champion – now up at light-heavyweight – hit back to say no agreement had been reached.
Opening up on the paperwork gaff, Cameron said: “What happened is we signed for a 12-round contract.
“When I [was] signing, I thought, ‘This is a bit strange.’ [Whittaker was] tired after five [rounds] the last time, and this is [for] a 12, it [doesn’t] make sense.
“Then obviously, a week later, it happened. [Promoter BOXXER was] saying, ‘Can we do 10 [rounds]? There’s been a mishap [with the contract], and will Liam do a 10 [round fight] now?’ And we’ve been saying no.”
It remains unclear whether the dispute has been resolved or not.
But regardless, Cameron said: “I’ve [now] got confidence in myself.
“It can’t be every time that people are having bad performances, they’re [taking] me lightly. It was the same with [Arthur] before Ben.
“He [supposedly] took me lightly. I [was] there to get beat both times, stopped, and looked good against.
“But I’ve been boxing [for] years. I’ve done everything as an amateur apart from [going to the] Olympic Games.
“I [was] on the GB podium [squad], and I turned it down and went pro. I’ve got pedigree, I am a good fighter.
“I am, it’s been proven now. I just don’t like the fact that people [are] saying, ‘Oh, it’s an off night.’
“That [was] Ben’s time to look good in Saudi. He had a fight penciled in for December, headlining in America.
“There’s no way he took me lightly. He [wasn’t] showboating or anything — that’s all excuses. How long ago was that?
“[Was] that four years ago [the 2020 Olympics — which took place in 2021]? That form is gone now.
“[It’s been] four years [since Whittaker was] fighting at [the] elite level. He’s had shoulder injuries, he’s not boxed the best people.
“What’s he done in [those] four years of boxing professionally?”