Whittaker vs Rivera Predictions: ‘The Surgeon’ scrubs up in the USA

Charismatic slickster Ben Whittaker looks to continue a recent run of early KO wins when he takes on gatekeeper Richard Rivera. The bout takes place on the undercard of Jaron Boots’ Ennis’ unified 154lbs title challenge against Xander Zayas. The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York plays host to Whittaker’s American debut, with DAZN PPV and Ultimate broadcasting the card live.

Keep reading for my Whittaker vs Rivera predictions ahead of this light heavyweight scrap.

Whittaker vs Rivera Odds

Whittaker is a big favourite at 1/10 as he looks to continue his winning start for Matchroom. Rivera is your 15/2 underdog. You can back the draw at 14/1.

Whittaker vs Rivera Fight Preview

Whittaker competes in the United States for the first time as a professional in the midst of a run of quick finishes. Since overwhelming Liam Cameron in the second round of their rematch, Whittaker has switched from BOXXER to Matchroom and scored a brace of first-round knockouts.

Cynics will say the 29-year-old Olympic silver medallist is crushing his opposition because they haven’t provided much opposition at all. Others will say that the 11-0-1 slickster is taking out his opponents double-quick because he has finally allied some brawn to the Prince Nas-evoking precociousness that has long rankled boxing’s self-appointed purists.

As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I’d back the vanquished Cameron to beat Whittaker’s last two opponents by stoppage, even if he failed to do so as quickly. 

But Whittaker has not been fighting faceless journeymen. Benjamin Gavazi and Braian Nahuel Suarez’s combined record going into their respective clashes with our subject was 40-5. Numbers only tell half the story, but Suarez had dropped Lyndon Arthur in a spirited scrap. Gavazi was a former German champion who had captured a WBC ranking title. These weren’t world beaters, but how many fighters have accumulated a murderer’s row of world class opponents 12 fights into their journey?

Richard Rivera is not a superstar name but he is a respected gatekeeper and an improvement over Gavazi and Suarez. The 35-year-old ‘Popeye The Sailor Man’ has never been stopped and pushed former world champion Badou Jack all the way before losing a controversial split decision marred by the referee allowing a four-minute round to occur while Jack was in the ascendancy.

Rivera’s only other loss came via majority decision over eight rounds opposite undefeated Dominican prospect Luis Antonio Tejeda. This veteran has a knack for making the favoured look bad. It might seem counterintuitive, but that might be exactly what a Whittaker needs. 

Sweeping everyone aside is great for your profile and your highlight reel, but you learn little when you’re putting your feet up in under three minutes. The most valuable rounds of Whittaker’s pro career are the torrid five-and-a-bit spent being befuddled by Liam Cameron in their first fight.

The bout’s ending has defined it in the boxing landscape. Whittaker and Cameron tumbled out of the ring after a maul on the ropes, leading to speculation that Ben was looking for an easy way out. I don’t believe that for a second. It was a bad night for Whittaker and Cameron looked to have his number. But the swift revenge in the rematch showed the real order of service.

Whittaker’s style invites schadenfreude. Fans will unironically express sadness that the free-wheeling likes of Roy Jones Jr and Prince Naseem Hamed are rarely emulated or duplicated these days, before scoffing at ‘The Surgeon’ for boxing in much the same way. Only time will tell if he is as good as the unconventional heroes of the 1990s, but many viewers never gave him a chance to try.

Cue the delight when Cameron secured a ‘moral’ victory in their first meeting. But that educational evening of sorrow has lit a fire under Whittaker. None of his three fights since have reached the third round. There is a ruthlessness there now. Before, Whittaker wanted to put on a show. Now, he wants to finish the fight. Rivera might offer more resistance to that aim than Whittaker is used to. But this new, more decisive ‘Surgeon’ is well-equipped for the assignment. 

Whittaker vs Rivera Full Card

Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis 

Jahi Tucker vs Euri Cedeno 

Emiliano Vargas vs Bryce Mills 

Ben Whittaker vs Richard Rivera 

Quincey Williams vs Jerome Baxter 

Dennis Thompson vs Edwin Rodriguez 

Juanma Lopez De Jesus vs Alberto Motos

Whittaker vs Rivera Prediction

Rivera is a throwback. He plods forward, gloves held low, winging in wide shots and trying to take his opponent’s head off with every punch. His defence isn’t good enough to warrant the low-slug guard and he’s not quick. But Rivera is relentless and has a decent punch, with 20 KOs among his 27 wins.

Rivera has largely beaten fighters who are susceptible to being walked down. But Whittaker is too incongruous for this style to be effective. Rivera hasn’t moved his head since Obama was in the White House. Meanwhile, Whittaker throws shots from complex and confusing angles, laced with enough power to trouble any fighter outside the elite bracket.

I think Whittaker has a field day here, stemming the tide of early Rivera pressure to put him on his back inside the first four rounds. Whittaker to win is priced at 1/10.