In London, Ben Whittaker showcased his dominance in the ring by defeating Khalid Graidia in a light heavyweight bout. The encounter culminated with Whittaker stopping his opponent in the fifth round.
Whittaker entered the fight with an unbeaten record of 6-0, including five knockouts. His performance was explosive, although he faced criticism for showboating. Graidia's record was less impressive at 10-14-5 with three knockouts, but he is known for putting up a good fight against challenging opponents.
From the opening bell, Whittaker's approach was businesslike. He caused trouble for Graidia with precise upper body movement and straight punches, including uppercuts. Graidia attempted to retaliate with overhand rights but struggled to find his mark.
During the second round at midway, a potent left hook to the body from Whittaker sent Graidia down to one knee. Later in that round, Whittaker's showmanship peaked as he executed an unauthorized triple salchow spin, drawing a referee warning.
The third round saw Whittaker slipping jabs effortlessly and countering with right hands while maintaining distance with his jab. In contrast, round four involved more unconventional actions from Whittaker—including performing a brief dance routine reminiscent of Michael Jackson—and warnings from the official calling out illegal moves like slapping on the head and flicking with the back of the hand. Graidia displayed frustration during this time, his punches missing their target.
The decisive moment arrived 1 minute and 57 seconds into round five when Whittaker concluded display antics, mounting a relentless two-handed assault on Graidia. This ferocious attack overwhelmed Graidia leading to him dropping to the canvas; subsequently, seeing no capability of recovery from Graidia, the fight was waved off by the referee.
Off ringside and focusing on future prospects, immediately following his victory over Graidia, Whittaker turned his sights on observing a top-tier fight between Dan Azeez and Joshua Buatsi. This attention reflects Whittaker's strategy—focusing not just on current victories but also scouting upcoming competitors within his division.
