Ben Whittaker’s US debut against Richard Rivera on Saturday is powered by the America he grew up watching—Mayweather nights in Las Vegas and reruns of Everybody Hates Chris set in Brooklyn and New York.
Ben Whittaker has been picturing this moment for years—watching it first on a screen, then replaying it in his head every time his life in Britain felt too small for his ambitions.
The Darlaston-born British light-heavyweight, 29, will get his first taste of the American dream on Saturday when he faces Richard Rivera in his US debut.
It’s not happening in a quiet corner or a local hall. Whittaker is on the undercard of Xander Zayas’ WBA and WBO super-welterweight title defence against Jaron Ennis at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
For Whittaker, the setting matters. New York is where his imagination took shape—Las Vegas is where he wants it to end.
His love of America traces back to two childhood rituals. In his own words, he started his mornings with the buzz of Mayweather fights. He remembers waking up early to watch Floyd Mayweather dazzle at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. then pointing to specific moments that grabbed him as a kid—Mayweather versus Oscar de la Hoya in 2007. and the Ricky Hatton fight.
“I woke up and watched the big Mayweather fights when I was a kid. I think the first one was Mayweather against Oscar de la Hoya [in 2007] and of course the Ricky Hatton fight. ” Whittaker told BBC Sport. “I was like, ‘Man, this looks crazy. I want to be involved in something like that’. Going into my first fight in America will be the start of that, hopefully.”.
He calls it baby steps, but the direction is unmistakable. New York first, Vegas next.
“I call it baby steps. You start in New York, finish in Vegas.”
Brooklyn isn’t just another stop on a fight itinerary. It’s tied to the other ritual he grew up with: TV. Whittaker used to devour episodes of the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, a semi-autobiographical show based on comedian Chris Rock.
“If New York means anything to me, it means Everybody Hates Chris,” Whittaker said. “I just remember watching it and it was set in New York and Brooklyn. Then you also come to a music culture, the city has got a lot of music that I listen to.”
Even the non-sport details have stayed with him—the music he says he follows. and the fashion he’s drawn to. He also insists he hasn’t been a stranger to the city for years. He’s been out to New York “five. six times” and feels he’s always received “a lot of love out there. ” something he expects to carry into Saturday’s fight.
“The fashion is big there, too. Weirdly, I’ve been connected to New York a lot of my life, really. I’ve been out there five, six times. I get a lot of love out there, so it’s going to be a good one.”
There’s a kind of symmetry in the way Whittaker talks about the journey. He learned what the biggest nights look like from Mayweather’s world in Las Vegas. and he learned what New York feels like through a show that brought Brooklyn and New York to his living room. Now he’s stepping into the exact stage he once watched from afar.
On Saturday, when he squares up to Richard Rivera, it won’t just be another bout. It will be the first real footstep toward the fight capital of the world—toward Las Vegas, and toward the kind of career Floyd Mayweather built there for so long.
Ben Whittaker Richard Rivera Floyd Mayweather Everybody Hates Chris Brooklyn Barclays Center Xander Zayas Jaron Ennis MGM Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas boxing
So it’s like a Mayweather tribute fight or what?
Everybody Hates Chris reruns made him want to box in America? That’s kinda random but I get it. Barclays Center is gonna be loud though, right?
Wait Richard Rivera is the one from Mexico that got robbed in that other card? Or is that someone else lol. If Whittaker is on Zayas’ undercard then he’s probably already guaranteed to win or they wouldn’t waste the slot.
America debut at Barclays makes it sound fancy but boxing is still dangerous. Also why are they talking about TV shows like it’s training? I thought fighters were supposed to get in the gym and run, not just watch reruns and Mayweather clips.