"His style is more like Emmanuel Augustus" - Fans react as Turki Alalshikh seemingly compares Ben Whittaker to Prince Naseem

Boxing fans have been reacting to Turki Alalshikh's recent bold claim, which saw His Excellency compare rising light-heavyweight talent Ben Whittaker to Hall of Fame Prince Naseem.

Whittaker is only at the beginning of his professional career, having turned pro in 2022 after winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He has since won all eight of his professional bouts (five KOs) and most recently picked up the IBF light heavyweight back in June.

The 27-year-old will also make his first title defense this weekend as he ventures out to Saudi Arabia to compete on the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev undercard.

Ahead of his upcoming bout, Alalshikh shared a video on his Instagram showing highlights of Whittaker's career. He then captioned the post asking fans whether Whittaker is the next Prince Naseem. He wrote:

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"Is Ben Whittaker the new Prince Naseem?🔥🥊🕺"

Prince Naseem (36-1) was a professional boxer who held multiple titles at featherweight, including the status of lineal champion. Many consider him one of boxing's greatest, and he is remembered for his showboating fighting style and spectacular entrances.

However, the comparison didn't go down well with some fans, with one fan saying Whittaker reminds them of somebody else instead. They wrote:

"His style is more like Emmanuel Augustus"

Another fan wrote:

"Please don’t compare him to Naz 🤦🏽‍♂️😆"

One fan added:

"In a word. No."

Some fans do see the resemblance, however, writing:

"Yes, Been saying it for years. Born to entertain ❤️"

Check out more reactions here:

Eddie Hearn hints that he wants to sign Ben Whittaker to Matchroom Boxing

Eddie Hearn recently sent the rumor mill swirling when he suggested he's planning on signing Ben Whittaker to Matchroom Boxing.

Ahead of Whittaker's bout against Liam Cameron this weekend, the 27-year-old spoke to Boxing News on YouTube. While discussing the upcoming fight, Hearn is heard talking in the background before Whittaker spots him and the pair in a brief conversation.

Hearn, who then steps into frame from behind the camera, is heard saying:

"I don't want to get in your interview, I don't want to get into trouble, all I'll say is I'll see you soon!"

Whittaker then turns his attention back to the camera and says:

"Haha! There you go man. That's the thumbnail. You know, man, I ain't saying too much, man [about potentially working with Hearn].

Check out their comments here (0:26):

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by C. Naik