Ben Whittaker opened up about the abuse he received in the build up to his rematch with Liam Cameron.
On Easter Sunday, Whittaker stopped Cameron in the second-round of their light-heavyweight rematch in Birmingham.
The 27-year-old Olympic silver medalist saw his stock drop after his draw with Cameron in Saudi Arabia six months prior, having then left the bout in a wheelchair and been accused of quitting.
And upon claiming victory on Sunday, an emotional Whittaker ran to the opposite corner of the arena and began shouting at a member of Cameron’s team, before cupping his hands as boos echoed around the arena.
Advert
When reflecting on his victory in Birmingham, a tearful Whittaker said via the Sun: "Truthfully, nothing has changed if I'm honest.
"I knew I should be doing that to people like Liam Cameron, no disrespect, but it was the six months out.
"Stuff like my brother had two daughters, I couldn’t really enjoy it too much because of what I was going through online.
"And it didn't really bother me, but even close friends, people that I classed as family, left me.
"They had a lot to say about me, but it was a great time to go back to the old Ben Whittaker."
Whittaker added that he was humbled in the six months following the first fight with Cameron, a period that saw him replace his coach Joby Clayton, with Andy Lee at the Ballbrack Boxing Club in Dublin.
He added: "Before the Olympics, I locked in, I trained hard and I dedicated myself to the sport.
"My life was moving at 100 miles per hour. Like I say, I come from a humble household where not a lot of stuff was given to us, so to be in the position where everything is coming at me at free will, it was amazing.
"But that six months out really humbled me, got me closer to God, and the small people around me are just what I needed.
"I went to the gym daily, took away the cameras, took away the social media and just got back to the old Ben.
"I want to thank my church as well, Living Hope, because I went through that door very quietly and kept myself to myself, and they brought the old Ben out of me.
"I got a text from Andy Lee. A lot of people were laughing behind my back, but he came to me and said, 'Come to Ireland, and I truly believe we can get the old Ben Whittaker back'.
"We trained hard, and after a couple of days he said 'You're going to knock him out'.
"And I just believed in him, he believed in me, and I went out there and did what I was supposed to do in Saudi."
Chris Byfield