LIAM CAMERON is out to snatch Ben Whittaker’s stardom 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.
GettyBen Whittaker and Liam Cameron ahead of their rematch[/caption]
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?”
GettyWhittaker and Cameron went over the top rope in their first fight which ended a draw[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
