BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – Ben Whittaker is continuing his education in the Kronk style of boxing under his new trainer Andy Lee.

Whittaker will compete in his first contest under Lee’s guidance this Sunday at the BP Pulse Live in Birmingham, where he meets Liam Cameron in a rematch following a controversial end to their first encounter last year. The pair came together and toppled over the top rope onto the canvas beneath them in Saudi Arabia in a fight that hung in the balance.

Whittaker injured himself in the fall and was unable to continue, meaning the fight went to the scorecards and was ruled a split decision draw.

Whittaker had been working with one of the sport’s in-demand trainers, SugarHill Steward, early on in his career and Lee has quickly become one of the most respected trainers in boxing, implementing the teachings of Emanuel Steward to his stable of fighters. He has perhaps done his finest work with heavyweight Joseph Parker, taking him from a former champion on a seemingly downward spiral to a heavyweight most deserving of a title shot. He has also impressed many with his work with Paddy Donovan, who recently suffered a controversial disqualification in a final eliminator for the IBF welterweight title.

Lee now looks to improve the skills of one of the gifted Whittaker, who has the tools to be one of the finest light heavyweights the UK has produced, but who failed to deal with Cameron last time out in the fashion everyone expected.

As a consequence, Lee has made some adjustments to his style, and the improvements have come from a lifestyle and behaviour in training camp.

“Truthfully, like I said I don't want to give away too much, we’ve not changed it crazily, he was under the tutelage of Kronk [Emanuel Steward] himself,” said Whittaker. “If you saw the first part of my career, I was with SugarHill [Steward], who was a Kronk fighter, so we sing off the same hymn sheet. I say the main thing is that guidance, that structure, you're working and this is what you're doing today where before I would do my own thing, so I think that's the main thing he's changed. He's a great person.

“That’s one thing. I wouldn't say I cut corners, if anything I overdid it sometimes,” Whittaker continued. “Like I was running my own camp, so I was doing three sessions a day, when I was supposed to be resting, I'd still be training. Whereas Andy Lee, he's been there and done it, he was a world champion, he's got fighters that are at the top level, so if he tells you to rest, you rest, if he tells you to graft, you graft, and that's what I needed. Then, not only that, little things, I've brought a nutritionist in, so like I said, he's cut those Krispy Kremes out, he's cut the bacon sandwiches out, little things like that, and I think the level I'm at now, you need that level of people.”

Emanuel Steward did not aim for points victories when training his students, Kronk fighters would always press for the knockout. Whittaker has been accused of not hitting hard enough in his professional career but said Lee was impressed when he first took him on the pads.

“Yeah, the funny thing is, like I said when I first went there, he's going off what other people are saying, ‘Oh, you can't really punch’, and when I started hitting the pads he was like, ‘Why don't you do this in the ring’,’’ said Whittaker. “I said, ‘I don't know, I like to mess around.’ So that opened up his eyes, and when he started seeing the power there, we've been working on a few things, but we'll see.”

Lee has recently made another addition to his impressive stable of fighters. Hamzah Sheeraz, who recently drew with WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames, has linked up with Lee ahead of a move up to super middleweight.

“Yeah, it's good sparring isn't it?” Whittaker said. “On paper it's a great stable now, you've got Joe Parker, Paddy Donovan, me, Hamzah [Sheeraz]. I'm sure a lot of people will be trying to join it as well, but I know Andy likes it nice and tight knit, so he can look after us properly.”