Most fighters find it difficult to maintain their composure at being labelled a quitter.

Unbeaten light heavyweight, Ben Whittaker, 8-0-1 (5 KOs), isn’t most fighters.

The 2020 Olympic silver medallist has been tarred with that particular brush ever since he and Liam Cameron toppled backwards over the top rope in the fifth round of their fight in Saudi Arabia last October.

The ugly tangle brought an unsatisfactory end to a surprisingly competitive fight and saw Whittaker leave the ring with a damaged ankle and a technical draw on his record.

As is his right, 34 year-old Cameron, 23-6-1 (10 KOs), seized upon the opportunity to snare himself a lucrative and - he will believe - winnable rematch and has accused Whittaker of seeking the quickest, easiest way out of the fight as soon as the going got tough.

Privately, Whittaker may be stewing over the comments but, during an interview on Sky Sports News, he brushed off the accusations and insisted that he is using them as motivation.

He and Cameron will meet in a rematch at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena on April 20th. Sky Sports will broadcast the event.

“I kind of liked it because, at the end of the day, people who really know me know the true me and if he wants to go with that, it’s great. It’s more fuel to the fire,” Whittaker said.

The ongoing Cameron saga forced Whittaker into a rethink of his entire approach.

He parted ways with his amateur trainer and godfather, Joby Clayton, and has linked up with former WBO middleweight champion, Andy Lee.

The 27 year-old’s flamboyant style and repertoire of dance moves and taunts earned him plenty of attention but they overshadowed the fact that he generally kept most of his tricks tucked safely away in his bag until he had his opponents firmly under lock and key.

Still, Cameron provided him with a stark indication that it will become much more difficult to bamboozle his opponents as he progresses through the levels.

Lee has guided welterweight prospect Paddy Donovan to the brink of world class and the slick, clever Limerick man showed plenty of grit and steel during his recent controversial disqualification loss to Lewis Crocker.

Lee was also a rangy, heavy handed fighter who naturally understood leverages. He may just be the ideal man to round out Whittaker’s game.

Whittaker hinted that whilst he won’t be dispensing with the qualities that make him so unique, he and Lee have been working on building him into a more effective all round fighter.

“At the end of the day, in this light heavyweight division, nobody's got feet and speed like me so why change it? But, at the end of the day, we're neatening up things. We’re adding things to the game and I'm excited to show you what we've been doing,” he said.

“No boxer wants these little blips in their career but it's better to happen now than later down the line. I’ve ironed a few creases out and I’m ready to shine.”