Ben Whittaker should have been celebrating a flawless first-round knockout win on Saturday night - but instead returned home to a far more unsettling discovery. The unbeaten British light heavyweight revealed that his house had been burglarized shortly after he left the bp pulse LIVE Arena in Birmingham, where he stopped Germany’s Benjamin Gavazi to move to 10-0-1 (7 KOs).
Whittaker shared the news through a calm but pointed Instagram video, describing the shock that greeted him when he walked through the door. “Highs and lows of the sports,” he said. “Come back, house has been burgled.” Despite the intrusion, the 28-year-old appeared relaxed, even posting the message “House robbed after the win” alongside a tearful laughing emoji.
Though maintaining composure, Whittaker made clear he intends to find those responsible. Speaking directly to fans in Wensbury, he said: “I got a big, big reward. Find these people, let me know.” He didn’t offer details about the reward but encouraged anyone with information to contact him via direct message.
Whittaker briefly showed damage inside the home, including a broken window blind believed to be the point of entry. Among the items stolen was his IBF light heavyweight international title belt. “What they gonna do with that?” he asked, shaking his head.
Image Credit: Getty Images