Ben Whittaker taken to hospital after freak injury suffered falling over the ropes
Ben Whittaker was taken to hospital for assessment after being injured during a bizarre premature end to his latest fight against Liam Cameron.
The British light-heavyweight duo were engaged in a highly-competitive contest on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed blockbuster in Riyadh on Saturday night, when they both went over the top rope and fell out of the ring after a clinch at the end of round five.
Whittaker was hurt during the fall, lying on the canvas in pain with his right leg stretched out against the ropes.
It quickly became clear that he had suffered a lower-leg injury and would not be able to continue as his corner removed first his boots and then his gloves.
Whittaker was quickly taken backstage in a wheelchair and he received treatment in the medical tent inside the Kingdom Arena before an ambulance arrived and took him to a nearby hospital, per DAZN.
It was ruled an accidental injury and the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, with Cameron appearing convinced that he’d won as he raised his arm aloft and then was left visibly furious as scores of 58-57 (Whittaker), 58-57 (Cameron) and 58-58 were confirmed to leave the result as a technical decision split draw.
The former Commonwealth middleweight champion shook his arm in protest before quickly exiting the ring and could not hide his frustration backstage.
"Kid were knackered from round two, he was very tired," Cameron told DAZN.
"He give me his last 30 seconds but he had nothing left. He had nothing left from round two.
"I definitely beat him. I don't get a fair share, I got a split decision loss in my last fight [against Lyndon Arthur] and just got a draw this one.
"What more do I have to do? I've never had a promotional deal in my life. I tried my best today to get that win and I thought I fully deserved it.”
Asked if he felt Whittaker had been looking for a “way out of the fight” as it trended in his opponent’s direction, Cameron said: "Yeah, 100 per cent. You will be able to see it on camera, you can tell. I don't want to be critical of him.”
A draw ends the highly-rated Olympic silver medalist Whittaker’s 100 per cent start to his professional career as he now stands at 8-0-1, though he still holds the IBF International light-heavyweight title. Cameron, meanwhile, is now 23-6-1 after the first draw of his career.