Mayweather & Chris Rock fuel Whittaker's American dream

Ben Whittaker’s love of America comes from two childhood rituals.

There were the early morning wake-up calls to watch Floyd Mayweather dazzle at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

And then there were the days in front of the TV watching sitcom Everybody Hates Chris when he got to know Brooklyn and New York.

The British light-heavyweight will attempt to live his very own American dream when he faces Richard Rivera in his US debut on Saturday.

Darlaston-born Whittaker, 29, features on the undercard of Xander Zayas’ WBA and WBO super-welterweight title defence against Jaron Ennis at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

It is the next step on the journey that he hopes will one day take him to where multi-weight world champion Mayweather called home for so much of his career, and that is Las Vegas – the fight capital of the world.

“I woke up and watched the big Mayweather fights when I was a kid. I think the first one was Mayweather against Oscar de la Hoya [in 2007] and of course the Ricky Hatton fight,” Whittaker told BBC Sport.

“I was like, ‘Man, this looks crazy. I want to be involved in something like that’. Going into my first fight in America will be the start of that, hopefully.

“I call it baby steps. You start in New York, finish in Vegas.”

But New York and particularly Brooklyn also has some meaning for the West Midlands boxer. That is because he used to devour episodes of the TV sitcom which was a semi-autobiographical show based on comedian Chris Rock.

“I’d say if New York means anything to me, it means Everybody Hates Chris,” Whittaker said. “I just remember watching it and it was set in New York and Brooklyn. Then you also come to a music culture, the city has got a lot of music that I listen to.

“The fashion is big there, too. Weirdly, I’ve been connected to New York a lot of my life, really. I’ve been out there five, six times. I get a lot of love out there, so it’s going to be a good one.”

Flamboyant Whittaker wants to grow US fanbase

Whittaker’s flamboyant style and brashness has made him something of a Marmite character in British boxing.

Some love it, some hate it, but he believes the US audience will lap up his style.

“I’ve got a lot of fans over there from my Instagram and TikTok,” he said.

“But having fans actually come to your fight is different and you want to go out there and make them want to come and see you again.”

Nicknamed ‘The Surgeon’, Whittaker has earned a reputation for picking apart the fight plans of his opponents – earning eight of his 11 wins inside the distance.

“I think American fans like three things: they like pure boxing, they like entertainment, and they like a real fight,” Whittaker said.

“I can bring all three of those. It just depends which one I want to do.

“It’s just about being myself, having fun and winning. I don’t need to force it.

“Each win gets me closer to what I want to achieve. So, just get rid of this guy and move on.”

Olympics, injuries & rapping

Whittaker has been tipped to reach the top of the professional ranks since winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics.

But it is almost five years since those Games – which took place in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic – and Whittaker will be making just his 13th walk as a professional on Saturday.

There have been injuries, promotional issues and a controversial draw with Liam Cameron when he fell out of the ring, which have slowed his progression.

Saturday’s opponent Rivera has won 27 of his 29 bouts but is yet to fight for any significant titles and is not moving the dial.

Whittaker, though, is happy with the pace he is moving at so far.

“I looked at the rankings the other day, and I think I’m second or third with the IBF, second or third with the WBC,” Whittaker said.

“In that many fights to be there, I’m in a good position to be fair.

“For me, it’s just about keeping winning, treating each fight as a world title, and we’ll get there eventually.”

If anyone has any worries about Whittaker’s full focus not being on the sport then they can thank his girlfriend for putting an end to his desire to be a rapper.

Whittaker had previously recorded some music under the name of Benzo, but that is now fully on the back burner.

“I’d like to be doing some music, but my missus says she gets cringed out, so I’ve stopped for a little bit,” he said.

“It’s all good and well doing it, but I have to go home to her. She won’t be making dinner if I start rapping, so maybe down the line I’ll get back to it. For now, she’s the boss.”