Ben Whittaker sobs and mocks Liam Cameron’s coaches after settling feud

Whittaker stopped Cameron in round two, after their first fight ended in bizarre and controversial fashion

Ben Whittaker rode an emotional rollercoaster after settling his feud with Liam Cameron on Sunday, sobbing in the corner of the ring but also mocking his opponent’s coaches – and the fans in Birmingham.

Six months after Whittaker and Cameron fought to a controversial draw, when they crashed over the top rope and Whittaker could not continue boxing, the British light-heavyweights squared off again.

And Olympic bronze medalist Whittaker left little doubt this time, securing a TKO of Cameron in the second round after rocking his opponent with a heavy right cross. While some observers seemed to think the stoppage was slightly early, Cameron was on shaky legs in the corner as Whittaker followed his initial shot with a barrage of hooks to the head and body.

Yet much of the focus will be on the post-fight scenes, as Whittaker, 27, ran over to Cameron’s corner to mock the 34-year-old’s coaches. One trainer, Grant Smith, tried to slap Whittaker, who then returned to his own corner and sobbed into his gloves in an emotional outpouring.

Next, Whittaker ran around the ring, cupping his glove to his ear to goad many of the fans in attendance, who had booed the unbeaten boxer before and after the bout.

Ben Whittaker is restrained by his coach Andy Lee post-fight (Action Images via Reuters)

(Action Images via Reuters)

“I should’ve done the 12, shouldn’t I?” Whittaker told Sky Sports, referring to a strange contract dispute before the fight, relating to the number of planned rounds. Ten frames were scheduled, despite 12 rounds having initially been signed for.

Whittaker also denied spitting in the direction of Cameron’s corner, saying: “You heard everyone booing me, man, they portrayed me as a bad guy [...] I was roaring like a lion, if a little bit of dribble came out, a little bit of dribble came out.

“Fair play to Liam, we hugged in the ring and he said, ‘No one’s ever hit me like that.’ [...] I’m still flashy, I’m still swaggy, but [in the ring] I was very disciplined.”