Ben Whittaker rushed to hospital with freak injury as both fighters fall over top rope forcing fight to be stopped
BEN WHITTAKER was left in a wheelchair and hospitalised following a freak injury after being pushed out of the boxing ring against Liam Cameron.
In the fifth round of the fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Whittaker and Cameron went over the top rope during a clinch.
https://twitter.com/BoxingEnth/status/1845157009756213409Cameron was seen pushing his light heavyweight opponent towards the corner of the ring, before they both ended up tumbling over the rope in an incident that could be mistaken for a WWE move.
After being flattened out in the fall, Cameron managed to get himself back to his feet and back in the ring quickly before gesturing he was ready to continue.
However, 2020 Olympic silver medal winner Whittaker was unable to continue with an injured right leg after medical treatment, and was later taken to the hospital.
The Surgeon seemed set to lose his undefeated record with Cameron on course for an upset victory.
But the three ringside judges called it: 58-87, Whittaker, 58-57 Cameron and 58-58 for a technical draw – leaving Cameron gutted.
Following the fight, he said: “He [Whittaker] had nothing left. Kid was knackered from round two. I definitely beat him. I don’t get a fair share [in fights]. What more do I have to do?
“Never had a promotional deal in my life and I tried my best to win that today and I think I deserved the win.”
Asked if he though Whittaker was looking for a way out, he said: “Yeah. 100%. You can see it on camera. I don’t want to be critical of him.”
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Cameron wisely kept a high and tight guard in the opener, when The Surgeon tried to open him up with scything shots.
The closest he came was backing the Sheffield man up onto the ropes and unloading.
Cameron looked pinned in and vulnerable but he weathered the sand storm and got away to see out the round.
Cameron enjoyed a moment of success in the second, tagging Whittaker close-up.
But the Wolves wonder took the blows comfortably and then clinched and could be seen whispering in Cameron’s ear.
But the underdog got revenge later on, sucking up a handful of lean Whittaker digs but sticking his tongue out to show he wasn’t harmed.
Whittaker raced into a third-round lead with a trademark screwshit uppercut. But Cameron swallowed it and went on to snatch the round back.
The favourite was pinged plenty of times and even resorted to leading with his head in an effort to pierce Cameron’s closed guard.
Whittaker had a stinker in the fourth and was lucky Cameron is not a power puncher at 12st 7lbs.
It seemed like every punch he bounced off the Midlander’s grinning face.
Referee Victor Loughlin bottled docking Whittaker a point in the fifth when he kept headbutting and hitting low.
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