Ben Whittaker given shock new nickname as he told he 'didn't fancy it' after Liam Cameron fight

Ben Whittaker retained his unbeaten record with a technical draw against Liam Cameron but the Olympic silver medallist was accused of "quitting" after falling out of the ring

Tony Bellew has suggested Ben Whittaker "didn't fancy" continuing after an unusual incident saw him topple over the ropes during his clash with Liam Cameron last weekend. The Olympic silver medallist was competing against Cameron for the IBF International light heavyweight title on Saturday night, part of the undercard for the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol fight.

Controversy erupted when the hitherto unbeaten Whittaker fell over the ropes and was unable to carry on. At the tail end of the fifth round, tied up with Sheffield's Cameron, Whittaker was nudged towards the ropes, resulting in both men tumbling over and landing outside the ring.

Cameron managed to return to his feet and his corner, but Whittaker showed signs of discomfort and could not proceed. The bout resulted in a split-decision technical draw, with scores tallied at 58-57, 57-58 and 58-58.

Adding to the drama, shortly after the fight, Whittaker was involved in an airport altercation where security had to intervene following the smashing of a fan's phone. Sporting a bandaged ankle, the 27 year old was seen at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as he passed through security.

An onlooker, who was at the fight and shared the same Saudi Airlines flight to Heathrow, reportedly witnessed the dispute unfold while in the duty free zone, reports the Mirror.

The drama unfolded as the boxer reportedly urged a fan to refrain from snapping photos of him while passing through the airport. The situation escalated when he allegedly seized and shattered the fan's phone amid rising tensions.

Claims have been made that Whittaker appeared poised to strike before a member of his crew stepped in to defuse the fracas. Saturday night's incident has sparked widespread debate on whether Whittaker walked away from the confrontation or not.

Chiming in with his take, former cruiserweight world champ Tony Bellew shared his thoughts with Safest Casino Sites, he said: "It was a strange one. I thought Whittaker started really well but Cameron absorbed everything and then it looked like it was only going one way. He (Whittaker) didn't fancy it. It was a nasty fall and it looked like he landed on his head. I didn't quite get the leg injury thing. I thought nothing really happened to his leg. I didn't experience the fall but it's not a good look. At this stage of your career you want to fight and finish your opponent, but it wasn't going his way."

After the bout, Cameron spoke to DAZN, expressing his frustration and claiming Whittaker was seeking an escape: "He [Whittaker] didn't want no more. He were very tired. He give me his last 30 seconds. He had nothing left. Kid was knackered from round two. But look, I definitely beat him. I don't get a fair share. I got a split decision lost in the last fight. I just had a draw this one. What more do I have to do? I've never had a promotional deal in my life, and I tried to do best today to get that win, and I thought I fully deserved it. Yeah [Whittaker wanted a way out], you could see it on camera. I don't want to be critical to him, because no one gave me a chance. No one. It wasn't the Liam Cameron show, I didn't have no cameras on me, following me, just my small team."

Cameron also took to X - the platform formerly known as Twitter - to voice his opinion on Whittaker, posting: "#Quittaker," along with a photo of the 27 year old with his ankle wrapped up.

The incident quickly became a hot topic among fans online, with one saying: "I was there. We all said same thing at same time. Whittaker s*** it."

Another added: "Whittaker bottled it."

A third commented: "If Quittaker is in a bad mood after falling out of the ring. God knows what he would have been like when you knocked him out."

And a fourth remarked: "Quittaker is broken! He's never taking the rematch."