British light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker produced a brilliant first-round knockout against Argentina’s Braian Suarez at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool – taking his record to 11-0-1.
Liverpool’s Callum Smith was originally headlining the card but pulled out of his light-heavyweight title eliminator with Cuba’s David Morrell.
Whittaker, 28, was elevated to top of the bill for the second time against Suarez, 34, in Liverpool. This follows two convincing wins against Benjamin Gavazi and Liam Cameron, who lasted only three rounds between them.
With the main event being pulled there were a number of empty seats around the arena.
But this did not deter showman Whittaker from showcasing his flamboyant style in front of a quiet Merseyside crowd. He even slipped a shot and gestured to the crowd for more noise.
But the fight did not last much longer with Whittaker landing a concussive right hook to the head of Suarez – who could not beat the 10 count.
The West Midlands fighter is on the verge of a world title shot in arguably boxing’s toughest division as Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn insisted, “we’ve got to get it right”.
But, at 28, fans are calling for Whittaker to take a step up in level with tough domestic fights available.
And it is easy to understand that call considering Whittaker beat Gavazi in two minutes last November.
Suarez, who has lost five of his 26 fights, was a move in the right direction – a notable tough man if he was allowed to settle, but Whittaker laid waste to him within a round.
Whittaker’s ability to power punch has often been questioned but he answered those critics with a huge knockout.
He told DAZN: “Don’t get it twisted, he’s a very good fighter. I was expecting a few rounds but then I wasn’t because of the work with my brother and the work with Andy.
“I’m hitting now. I’m finding my feet – I know when to play and I know when to get him out of there too.”
But it was the co-main event that was the main attraction for the crowd, as former UFC fighter Molly McCann was walked to the ring by a live performance from Liverpudlian artist Jamie Webster.
The deafening crowd roared McCann on to take her professional boxing record to 4-0 with a points win over Wales’ Ashleigh Johnson.
