Boxing legend Tony Bellew has claimed Ben Whittaker “didn’t fancy” it following his dramatic tumble over the ropes in his clash with Liam Cameron.
The Olympic silver medallist, Whittaker, faced off against Cameron for the IBF International light heavyweight title on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night. But the fight ended in a storm of controversy when the unbeaten sensation toppled over the ropes and couldn’t carry on.
At the close of the fifth round, Whittaker got tangled up with Sheffield’s own Cameron, before being shoved towards the ropes. The duo then spilled over, landing outside the ring.
READ MORE: ‘I ruined showboating boxer Ben Whittaker’s career – now he’s the embarrassment’
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While Cameron managed to pick himself up and return to his corner, Whittaker seemed to be in agony and was unable to proceed. The bout was ultimately declared a split-decision technical draw, with scorecards reading 58-57, 57-58 and 58-58.
Ex-world champion cruiserweight Bellew told Safest Casino Sites: “It was a strange one. I thought Whittaker started really well but Cameron absorbed everything and then it looked like it was only going one way.
“He (Whittaker) didn’t fancy it. It was a nasty fall and it looked like he landed on his head. I didn’t quite get the leg injury thing. I thought nothing really happened to his leg.
“I didn’t experience the fall but it’s not a good look. At this stage of your career you want to fight and finish your opponent, but it wasn’t going his way.”
Speaking about the bout on DAZN, Cameron didn’t hold back, claiming Whittaker was looking for an escape route. He said: “He [Whittaker] didn’t want no more. He were very tired. He give me his last 30 seconds.
“He had nothing left. Kid was knackered from round two. But look, I definitely beat him. I don’t get a fair share. I got a split decision lost in the last fight. I just had a draw this one. What more do I have to do?
(Image: Richard Pelham)
“I’ve never had a promotional deal in my life, and I tried to do best today to get that win, and I thought I fully deserved it. Yeah [Whittaker wanted a way out], you could see it on camera. I don’t want to be critical to him, because no one gave me a chance. No one. It wasn’t the Liam Cameron show, I didn’t have no cameras on me, following me, just my small team.”
Cameron later took to X to express his feelings on Whittaker’s performance, making a brisk statement that read: “#Quittaker,” along with a snap of the 27-year-old sporting a bandaged ankle.
Fans were right into the fray commenting on the night’s big controversy, with one supporter stating: “I was there. We all said same thing at same time. Whittaker sh*t it.” Another fan declared: “Whittaker bottled it.”
A third added their thoughts, saying: “If Quittaker is in a bad mood after falling out of the ring. God knows what he would have been like when you knocked him out.” And yet another chimed in with: “Quittaker is broken! He’s never taking the rematch.”