The general observation surrounding his Silver medal run during the delayed 2020 Olympics was that there was something Benjamin Whittaker was holding back.

It turned out to be a three-year-old injury that nearly cost him a trip to Tokyo.

The light heavyweight representative for Great Britain plans to turn pro following his successful run in this summer’s Olympics, though the move likely won’t come until the first quarter of 2022. The 24-year-old was forced to undergo surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder, an injury he concealed prior to qualifying for Tokyo. Despite only fighting with one healthy arm, the charismatic Brit advanced to the Gold medal round before coming up just short to Cuba’s Arlen Lopez in their light heavyweight final earlier this month.  

“Finally after three years keeping it silent, I finally got my shoulder surgery,” Whittaker revealed through his verified social media account. “I’ve had a tear for three years now and it’s never quite healed due to back-to-back tournaments, training camps, etc. After three hard years, fighting with one arm and getting to the Olympic final, I’ve finally had the chance to get it sorted.”

Any healthy light heavyweight would have their work cut out for them on the path Whittaker was forced to travel. A pair of two-time Olympians awaited the Brit in the first two rounds of the tournament, including his ousting number-four seed Abdelrahman Salah Orabi (Egypt) in the Round of 16. A quarterfinal win over Brazil’s Keno Machado guaranteed a medal for Whittaker, who pulled off another upset after outclassing the explosive Imam Khataev via decision in the semifinal round.

The tough road to the final came about after Whittaker settled for merely qualifying for the Olympics rather than fighting for a top seed. His place was secure after advancing in the European Olympic Qualifying tournament this past June, making his way to the final only to lose via walkover to Loren Alfonso, an Azerbaijan-based Cuban against whom Whittaker fell short in the 2019 World Amateur Championship final.

At the time, the decision to not box in the Olympic Qualifier championship round was attributed to his not wanting to face Alfonso to not wanting to face a friendly rival in a relatively meaningless fight. The truth came out in recent days, as did the reason as to why the injury was concealed for more than three years.  

“After a recent MRI scan it has shown that it was only  a tear but due to carrying on as normal, it has developed cysts and part of the bone had come away from persistent use. That being said, I’m now on the road to recovery. Prep in the past three years was so different, I couldn’t spar much. I couldn’t do much (strength and conditioning). I had to pick and choose when [to] spar. Also, this is the reason I pulled out of the European Olympic Qualifier final.

“I was told I needed surgery when I tore it in 2018 but never had the time. Then in 2020 when Covid hit, I thought it was the perfect time to finally get it done. So, I took it upon myself to see one of the best surgeons. His advice was I needed it done ASAP as it would only get worse, which is exactly what happened. But it would mean I would maybe miss the Olympics. So, it was either miss the Olympics or push back the surgery and fight with one arm. So, took the option to push back surgery which was [bittersweet].”

The decision was a no-brainer for Whittaker, who was part of a Great Britain boxing team that led all nations in wins (25) and medals (six). The gifted boxer and aspiring hip hop artist—who performs under stage name ‘B£NZO’—always intended to turn pro after the Olympics, though that next step won’t come until he is back at full health.

“I had a great mind to get through it and I knew that I’d be more than capable to win it with one arm so I got on with it,” notes Whittaker, who is still fielding offers from multiple promoters. “But it’s all good! Surgery went great and I’ll be back soon.

“Next time you’ll see me is in the professional ring and a [one-hundred percent] me. Time for rest and recovery and we look forward to the next adventure.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox