Rising star from West Midlands, United Kingdom, Ben Whittaker, has taken the boxing world by storm with his flashy and often showboating style of boxing reminiscent of Naseem Hamed. The 27-year-old will once again look to put on a show on October 12th at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against Yorkshire, United Kingdom’s Liam Cameron.

While there’s a lot of chatter about his upcoming bout on Saturday night, some fans were also speculating about Whittaker’s tattoos. To be exact, ‘The Surgeon’ has two of them—one on his back and the other on his left arm. If you were wondering what the inspirations behind his tattoos are, we have got your back. 

What is the meaning behind Ben Whittaker’s back tattoo? Inspired by Whitebeard?

The most eye-catching tattoo on Whittaker’s body is his back tattoo, which, believe it or not, is inspired by a popular Japanese anime called ‘One Piece.’ To be more precise, Ace D. Portgas, one of the characters in the anime, has the tattoo in question on his back like Whittaker. However, it has a much deeper meaning to it, which involves Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate.

‘Whitebeard’ was a pirate, and the tattoo serves as an emblem of his crew, marked on the backs of captains and higher-ranking members. While unconfirmed, for Whittaker, the tattoo means more than just being a fan of the show. ‘Whitebeard’ is known for his loyalty, strength, and protective nature towards his crew, so by tattooing the emblem, ‘The Surgeon’ pays homage to these values. 

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Not to forget, ‘Whitebeard’ is known as the strongest man in the world, having faced numerous adversities and challenges without ever backing down. Whittaker might want to adopt that strength in his own professional boxing career, as he tackles one opponent after the other. It will even act as a source of motivation while he aims to become the best in his division. 

Lastly, despite sustaining many injuries throughout his life as a pirate, including 267 sword wounds, 152 bullets, and 46 cannonballs, ‘Whitebeard’ has never suffered an injury on his back. This may encourage Whittaker to face challenges head-on rather than taking the easy route out. The 27-year-old has turned a mere tattoo into a deeply personal part of his life that will continue to motivate him throughout his life. 

Ben Whittaker explains the origin of his sleeve tattoo

Now, for his left arm—he sports a sleeve tattoo that blends various characters from his favorite anime, each representing insights and lessons he’s gathered over the years. Let’s break them down. The first one is of Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha, two brothers, from the widely popular Japanese anime ‘Naruto.’

Speaking to Sky Sports back in December last year, ‘The Surgeon’ said about the tattoo, “It’s a really important scene for me because the older brother does a lot for the younger brother [in the anime]. But the younger brother [didn’t realize] it until that moment. It’s quite nice because my brother does a lot for me and it’s only now I’ve realized it. So, I thought it was nice to get it tattooed.”

Moving on to the tattoos on his forearm—the sleeve features a character named Vegito from the popular anime ‘Dragon Ball Z.’ “It’s a person called Vigito, like I said, touching back to one of my favorite sagas. It’s the Majin Buu Saga.” However, it’s worth mentioning that Vegito does not appear in the main story of the saga, but he is part of the What-If scenario. 

Regardless, Whittaker goes on to showcase his Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki tattoos from the ‘Naruto’ show. However, that’s not the end of Whittaker’s tattoos, as he points at the tattoo of a character named Ippo from the anime ‘Fighting Spirit.’ Like Whittaker, Ippo is also a boxer, and the anime revolves around a teenage boy who discovers a passion for boxing. 

Speaking about his tattoo of Ippo, Whittaker said, “It’s actually a really good anime, like the run in the morning, the train hard, the make weight. So, me as a boxer, watching that I’m like, ‘They’re going through it as well,’ It’s quite nice.”

That said, Ben Whitterkar seems to be covered in tattoos that portray his life and the things he has learned and experienced through the character of his tattoos. However, can it help him overcome his opponent on Saturday night? Only time will tell. Until then, we want to know what you think of Whittaker’s tattoos.