Ben Whittaker Fires Back At Gabe Rosado After Dominant Win Over Richard Rivera

Asked about those comments during the post-fight press conference, Whittaker didn’t hold back.

“I saw Ring Magazine did a sit-down interview with Gabe Rosado, and he had Popeye to knock me out,” Whittaker said. “He said, ‘He was looking sharp. He was looking strong. If Ben’s not on his P’s and Q’s, I think he’ll get knocked out.’ He’s obviously smoking that [expletive] because I did what I was supposed to do.”

Whittaker dominated Rivera from the opening bell, scoring a knockdown late in the first round before ending the fight early in the second. Rivera entered the bout coming off a competitive split-decision loss to former two-division world champion Badou Jack and was viewed as the toughest test of Whittaker’s professional career.

The Olympic silver medalist said criticism is unavoidable regardless of the result.

“You can never please anyone,” Whittaker said. “Everyone’s got their own opinions.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn echoed that sentiment, arguing Whittaker continues to receive criticism despite producing increasingly dominant performances against progressively better opposition.

Hearn pointed to Whittaker’s recent run of early knockouts and said the goal remains the same: continue stepping up the level of opposition while moving toward a world title opportunity.