RASH, brazen and bombastic Brummie Ben Whittaker will once again bring his stomach-churning showboating antics into the ring with him on Saturday.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist is expected to flash his teasing talents when he clashes with Nigerian Ezra Arenyeka at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park ground.
Ben Whittaker has divided opinion during his short time as a professional boxerGetty
Whittaker, with just seven unbeaten light-heavyweight fights, has recently been the subject of more arguments than a General Election TV debate.
He divides opinion among ringside fans and Sky viewers who either strongly object to his eccentric behaviour or praise him for his entertainment value.
When Ben turned pro two years ago he decided there was one way of making an instant impact.
He set out to cause controversy inside the ring by indulging in the kind of outrageously extravagant moves one would normally expect to see on Strictly Come Dancing.
Shamelessly he shimmies, shakes, pirouettes, makes 360-degree turns, hops on one leg and patronisingly pats his opponents on the head while battering them with both hands.
Showboating is not exactly a new phenomenon. I watched Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Chris Eubank, Naseem Hamed and other masters of the craft of showmanship.
But there is a world of difference between what Ali and company got up to and Whittaker’s behaviour.
They were showing off their fancy footwork in the face of elite fighters amid the heat of world championship battles.
Whereas Ben is making fools out of his fellow pros who have limited skills — and were hand-picked so he can enjoy himself.
To me it’s a form of bullying.
Boxing is dangerous and often brutal but there is a definite unwritten code that comes under the category of Ungentlemanly Conduct.
It is generally accepted that under no circumstances should inferior opponents be ridiculed or humiliated.
Whittaker, 27, has been heavily criticised for doing exactly that but vehemently denies he is disrespecting the opposition.
He claims he is simply giving the public what they want to see — and that’s showbiz with blood.
His promoter Ben Shalom certainly will not curb his clowning and boasts his wannabe superstar has a million Instagram followers and puts bums on seats.
Arenyeka has won all his 12 fights — mostly against unknowns in Lagos — and it is doubtful that he will be much of a threat to Britain’s latest motormouth.
However, he summed up what many genuine fight fans feel about Whittaker when he said: “Most boxers aren’t appreciative of the way he does things in the ring.
“He’s acting like a little diva — a little kid.”
Ben has achieved what he set out do — become notorious extremely quickly.
Now it’s time for referees to clamp down on his nauseating excesses and take points away when necessary.
Whittaker has been compared to Marmite — which means you either love him or hate him. I happen to hate Marmite!