Promoter Ben Shalom, in his role as the head of Boxxer, made what looked like the most astute UK signings of 2021-22 following the Tokyo Olympics. Two fighters’ signatures in particular were the envy of rival promoters: Frazer Clarke, a talented and charismatic heavyweight, looked ready-made for the professional ranks while Ben Whittaker, the flashy and cocksure light heavyweight, oozed star appeal.
Clarke made his debut in February 2022, predictably walloping a grotesquely overmatched Jake Darnell inside one round, five months before Whittaker, in his first pro fight, took a little longer to dispatch 100-1 underdog Greg O’Neill. Two years later, the once glittering futures of both Clarke and Whittaker are at best uncertain after disastrous, and prominent, showings on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia on October 12.
Clarke, 33, was taken out in the opening round of his rematch with Fabio Wardley, the finishing blows hammering a dent in his skull. Before that, Whittaker’s bout with former Commonwealth middleweight champion Liam Cameron ended in a draw, and bizarre circumstances, after a fight in which the 27-year-old’s inexperience and overconfidence were glaringly exposed.
One wonders if we’ll look back on the careers of Clarke and Whittaker in years to come and conclude they were moved along too quickly, while under too much pressure, on too high a stage. Though both were world class amateurs neither were the kind who merely needed to remove the vest – like comparative freak Vasiliy Lomachenko – to achieve the same status in the professional ranks.
Clarke’s sudden hike in class, going from walkovers to live opposition in one outing, was particularly stark. This, then, may sound like criticism of Clarke’s team, of which Shalom is the figurehead. Perhaps to a small degree it can be interpreted as such, but that is far from the intention.
Shalom, the youngest person to hold a promoter’s licence in the UK, has increasingly found himself under just as much pressure as his fighters to deliver. Naively he presumed he’d be able to slot into the promotional hierarchy alongside Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, say nice things about them, mind his own business in a humble and understated way, while building harmonious relationships with one and all. Yet the realization that new kids on the block are not welcome, particularly new kids on a block that has essentially been the property of the Hearn and Warren families for decades, quickly became apparent.
“We’re trying to be really respectful,” Shalom told me three years ago regarding his approach to business with the established superpowers. “The whole point of where we want to go is not about going head-to-head with promoters… We are actively trying to avoid any conflicts.”
Though he did share the odd promotional venture with his rivals, it was clear early on that Shalom was viewed as an imposter, a chancer, and something of an annoyance. Had Hearn, Warren and company been in the stands of a Shalom promotion, they’d have been the first to start a chorus of “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
The very human desire to prove that he did in fact know exactly what he was doing was clear. But he needed time. Essentially starting from scratch when he took over from Hearn as Sky Sports’ lead boxing promoter in 2021, he had little choice but to scour the amateur ranks for burgeoning talent and sift through the small hall circuit for hidden gems. Consequently, though his stable was and remains full of promise, it’s always had the air of a long-term project in a boxing world that’s impatient to a fault.
The pressure from television networks to familiarize audiences with certain boxers, specifically those identified as potential pay-per-view attractions of the future, results in incredible exposure during stages of careers that, ideally, should purely be about schooling in rather more sedate surroundings. The seemingly limitless duration of televised shows, alongside social media facilitating a cast of millions to kvetch and commentate, means this is now a very different world to yesteryear, when we’d just see the odd edited highlight of a promising young star as opposed to every second of every fight plus build-up and post-fight analysis ad nauseam.
Don’t cry anyone a river, however; the modern-day TV prospect will earn handsomely and those down payments on their potential are the envy of plenty who yearn just to be noticed. Yet there are undeniable downsides to being a blue-eyed boy. Alongside an obligation to look good while learning on the job there is increasing – and understandable – pressure to fight stern opposition while doing so.
“I don’t think fighters are getting their development anymore,” Shalom told BoxingScene mere days after witnessing Clarke and Whittaker stumble. “Maybe they should be taking more fights off TV. It’s like with Callum Simpson when we signed him before – we allowed him to develop on the small hall scene and then you come to TV, and you’re ready, and you’re the finished article. I think there’s a lot to be said for that and I am looking at that now – there’s a huge amount of pressure when you start on Sky Sports. That can really mess with a fighter’s development. You’ve seen the calls for Adam Azim and Frazer Clarke to take the [hard] fights as early as possible [but] sometimes you need that development – or it can be dangerous.”
Shalom was ridiculed, first by Hearn on social media and then by fans, when he pulled Clarke from purse bids at the 11th hour for a British title fight with champion Wardley in 2023. At the time, Clarke was 6-0 and a pro for 14 months. He’d never been beyond six rounds nor in a contest scheduled for more than eight. Though the timing of the withdrawal was regrettable, Shalom’s reasoning for it was sound: He wanted his charge to get more rounds.
For context with other Olympic medallists who have worn world heavyweight belts this century, only Oleksandr Usyk’s record (7-0) at the time of moving up to the championship distance is comparable. Deontay Wilder waited until he was 27-0, Anthony Joshua and Lennox Lewis were 13-0 and Wladimir Klitschko was 16-0. Furthermore, none of Usyk, Wilder, Joshua, Lewis or Klitschko took on anyone as headstrong or confident as Wardley in their first foray into the 12-round arena.
By the time the first Wardley fight was agreed, Clarke had progressed to 8-0 after beating an unambitious Mariusz Wach on points and an unfit David Allen, who retired after six rounds. What followed against Wardley was a hellacious 12-round draw, one that surely took its toll on both, albeit one that demanded a return. Does Shalom now feel like there was too much pressure to step up too high, too soon?
“I’m not saying that was the reason for Frazer Clarke [losing to Wardley], but it is a great question, because it’s a dangerous sport and the professional game is very different to the amateur sport,” Shalom responded. “Sometimes fans aren’t very patient. Maybe we’ll start looking at whether, when we develop these fighters, the smaller shows [are better].
“I think with BT and DAZN you can get away with almost hiding fighters, and I’m not saying they do that, but when you’re on Sky Sports that magnifying lens upon you can make it difficult for a fighter who is learning on the job.”
Clarke’s learning came at the cost of a broken jaw and cheekbone. Should he fight again, and he’s indicated that’s his wish, he’s been advised to wait six weeks before training of any kind and three months before attempting to spar. The mental scars of his savage and public thrashing, on the back of those accrued from their gruelling first encounter, will take substantially longer to heal.
Whittaker nurses humiliation of a different kind. He seemed born for the limelight as he showboated his way through six bouts only to find Leon Willings and Ezra Arenyeka, who lasted eight and 10 rounds respectively, less receptive to his routine. The grandstanding had long since gone viral and what came naturally became his curse.
In the days leading up to his fight with the vastly more experienced Cameron, Whittaker disrespectfully poked fun at his opponent, all but asking for comeuppance as he took what should now be recognized as a significant step up.
“That’s the balance,” Shalom explained about the complexities of juggling expectation with education. “Frazer Clarke and Ben Whittaker have become big names in our sport, very quickly, within 10 fights. Outside the ring everything has been fantastic but you’ve got to get that development inside the ring as well. But, to be fair, I think Frazer has got caught with one punch and, yes, it was early and, yes, with more experience he’s dealing with that comfortably, but one punch can change anything.”
Several punches had started to change the complexion of Whittaker’s reputation through the first five rounds of his scheduled 10 with Cameron. The young braggart, like that kid at school who answers the teacher back once too often, was being taught what might yet be regarded as a valuable lesson. Whether he saw a way out in the moment he landed on his back after wrestling Cameron over the top rope is now irrelevant; the backlash has been ferocious.
“It’s something we’re always battling with the younger fighters because there is a pressure on them,” Shalom continued. “They read what goes on, they read Twitter, they see people baying for their blood and wanting them to get in with killers overnight and that can sometimes make them feel rushed as well.”
Rushed or not, there is no going back for Shalom, Clarke or Whittaker. It’s up to them to now prove they belong in the environments of their own making.
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