BIRMINGHAM, England — Ben Whittaker got exactly what he wanted Saturday night. Whether he’s ready for what comes next is another question. Whittaker survived a dramatic late rally from Conor Wallace to win a unanimous decision in their IBF light heavyweight title eliminator, earning mandatory status for Dmitry Bivol’s IBF championship.
The judges scored the fight 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 for Whittaker, who improved to 13-0-1 with nine knockouts. For nine rounds, Whittaker appeared to be delivering perhaps the most complete performance of his professional career. Then everything changed.
One Left Hand Changes the Fight
Wallace struggled to consistently solve Whittaker’s movement, jab and timing during the opening stages. Whittaker boxed confidently, attacked the head and body and even incorporated some of the showmanship that helped turn him into one of British boxing’s most recognizable young fighters.
Wallace finally began finding success with his straight left in the ninth. By the 10th, the fight had changed. A hard left forced Whittaker to clinch before he stumbled to the canvas in a sequence that wasn’t ruled a knockdown.
Suddenly, the fighter who had spent most of the evening in complete control looked vulnerable. Instead of following trainer Andy Lee’s instructions to box and move, Whittaker elected to engage.
That decision nearly became disastrous. Wallace continued landing left hands, including a huge shot late that badly hurt Whittaker. Whittaker went down again without receiving a count and appeared exhausted as Wallace desperately searched for the finish. He survived, but barely.
Whittaker Denies Being Hurt
Afterward, Whittaker downplayed how much trouble he was in. “Not really, to be fair,” Whittaker said when asked if he had been hurt. “He was just making it really messy.”
He also admitted that his own complacency contributed to the dramatic finish. “If I’m honest, it was too easy,” Whittaker said. “I took my eye off the ball a little bit, and he caught me with a good shot. That’s boxing. But what did I do? Dug it out and won.”
That’s one way to look at it. Another is that Wallace exposed something Bivol will undoubtedly notice.
Is Whittaker Ready for Bivol?
Whittaker has unquestionably improved since joining Lee and relocating to Dublin following his disappointing technical draw against Liam Cameron in October 2024.
He’s now produced four consecutive victories. Saturday represented another step forward because Wallace was an experienced, dangerous opponent with legitimate punching power.
But Bivol represents an entirely different level. The Russian holds the Ring, IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight championships and is one of boxing’s most technically sophisticated fighters.
Whittaker won’t be able to mentally switch off against him. He won’t be able to abandon the game plan because things have become comfortable. If Bivol discovers a weakness, Whittaker shouldn’t expect him to wait until the final rounds to exploit it.
Interestingly, Whittaker didn’t immediately demand his newly earned championship opportunity. Instead, he suggested fighting Wallace again. “I think we should do it again, and I’ll beat him down even better,” Whittaker said.
A rematch might not be the worst idea. Whittaker earned his mandatory position Saturday. He also discovered there is still work to do before challenging one of boxing’s pound-for-pound elite.
For nine rounds, Ben Whittaker looked ready for the world stage. Over the final three, he received a reminder of just how unforgiving that stage can be.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
