Ben Whittaker discovered his Wednesbury home had been ransacked after he knocked out Benjamin Gavazi on Saturday evening. The fighter, who was competing just 20 miles away at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, is now offering a substantial reward for information leading to the culprits.

It took ‘The Surgeon’ merely two minutes and 15 seconds to defeat his opponent in the opening round of what was scheduled as a ten-round bout. The victory marked his 10th triumph since becoming a professional in 2022, and secured Whittaker the vacant WBC silver light-heavyweight title. That championship belt should have joined the IBF international light-heavyweight title at his residence, but the intruders made off with it.

Whittaker described Saturday evening’s events as the “highs and lows of the sport” in footage shared on his Instagram story during the early hours of Sunday morning.

Focusing on his kitchen window, the fighter stated: “Come back, house has been burgled. But, Wednesbury, I’ve got a big, big reward.

“Find these people, let me know. They’ve even took my IBF belt, what they gonna do with that? So, yeah, let me know, hit me up in the DMs, big reward, love.”

West Midlands Police confirmed to the BBC: “We are investigating after a home was broken into in Wednesbury shortly after midnight today [Sunday] with property stolen.

“Anyone with any information is being asked to ring us on 101 quoting crime reference number 20/459973/25. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”

Whittaker’s most recent bout in April also took place at the NEC, where he secured a knockout victory over Liam Cameron in a rematch of their contentious split-decision technical draw.

The pair’s initial encounter occurred in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol, with Whittaker forced to withdraw following an injury sustained when both fighters tumbled out of the ring.

Since then, he has put pen to paper on a long-term deal with Matchroom Boxing, with Eddie Hearn now eyeing fights for him across the Atlantic.

The promoter said: “We don’t want to take him to America too much, but America is crying out for Ben Whittaker.”

Hearn lavished praise on the former Olympian, saying: “All I can say is wow. Sometimes people come into an arena and light up the place, but what matters is what happens in here, the ring.

“We know there are many levels above Gavazi that we need to reach, but when you face that level, you go in, destroy them clinically, and produce a showreel knockout the whole world watches for the next week. Millions and millions of viewers are watching this young man, who is truly special.”