Ben Whittaker outclasses Ezra Areyeka – and even overcame a headbutt AND an elbow – in one-sided points victory to silence his fiery rival at Selhurst Park

British boxing’s ultimate showman, Ben Whittaker, overcame a headbutt and an elbow from his fiery opponent Ezra Areyeka to power his way to a one-sided points victory on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe’s world title fight at Selhurst Park.

After a spirited build-up in which Whittaker grabbed his opponent’s throat in the final confrontation on Friday in response to accusations that he was behaving ‘like a child’ with his antics in the ring, tempers threatened to boil over in the ring in a fight that Whittaker dominated, earning a verdict of 100-89 on one judge’s card, while the other two scored a score of 99-90.

After being outclassed in the first half of the 10-round match, Arenyeka aimed a headbutt at the 2021 Olympic silver medalist at the end of the sixth round after Whittaker mockingly guided him back to his corner.

Arenyeka received a stern ruling from the referee but had not cooled down moments later, then delivered an elbow to Whittaker during a clinch in the next round.

This time the referee had no choice but to intervene and deduct a point from the underdog.

The Englishman survived a headbutt from his opponent at the end of the sixth round

He also withstood an elbow as Areyeka stepped up his dirty tactics as tempers flared

Whittaker powered his way through the rest of the fight and there was no doubt he would get his hand raised, but the flamboyant light heavyweight was perhaps a little disappointed that he was unable to get a stoppage on the big stage.

The 27-year-old loves to put on a show and that started before the fight even started.

Whittaker danced and shuffled his way to the ring with the help of a symphonic orchestra as he soaked up the adoration of 15,000 fans.

It was a long ring walk that kept Arenyeka waiting, but Whittaker got right to work as the opening bell rang.

Whittaker donned pink gloves and immediately knocked Arenyeka’s head back with a sharp right hand before repeating the feat. Arenyeka tried to fire back but could only hit fresh air, causing Whittaker to shake his head dismissively before goading his opponent.

Arenyeka refused to be intimidated and dropped his gloves, drawing cheers from the crowd, but Whittaker was in control from the start.

Whittaker’s showboating continued in the second, as he spent as much time looking at the ring as he did at his opponent. But he still landed sharp counters on his oversized rival, hurting Arenyeka with a left hook to the body and then the same shot to the temple.

Arenyeka connected with a right hand in the third to remind Whittaker he was still in the match, but that only set Whittaker on fire as he ripped home multiple uppercuts to send Arenyeka backwards towards the ropes.

Whittaker controlled the fight and will be disappointed he didn’t knock out Areyeka

The fight was on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO world cruiserweight title victory over Richard Riakporhe

The Selhurst Park crowd remained entertained but wanted more after watching an eventful match

The writing was on the wall and the pattern of the fight continued into the fourth round. Whittaker had found his groove, cutting off Arenyeka from all angles, while his opponent had minimal success in return.

To his credit, Arenyeka continued to trudge forward and found the target in the fifth, but he couldn’t trouble Whittaker, who danced around the ring and grinned at those lucky enough to snag ringside seats.

If Arenyeka started to gain some confidence in the fifth, it evaporated the next round as Whittaker started putting together flashy combinations that his opponent latched onto.

And then came Arenyeka’s two moments of madness. Could Whittaker have put his foot on the accelerator to punish Arenyeka for his behavior?

In fairness, he tried in the final round, with Arenyeka wobbling around the ring as the final bell rang after a barrage of punches from Whittaker.

But he persevered and Whittaker had to settle for a points victory, leaving the crowd entertained but still wanting more.