Whittaker Survives a Final-Round Scare to Outpoint Wallace in IBF Light-Heavyweight Eliminator
Ben Whittaker controlled most of the fight but was badly shaken late on before beating Conor Wallace on all three cards in Birmingham.
Ben Whittaker is a step closer to a world title shot, but it was much harder than it needed to be. The unbeaten English light heavyweight beat Conor Wallace by unanimous decision in an IBF final eliminator at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night, UK time. He had to get through some very difficult moments in the last three rounds to do it.
The result
The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113, all for Whittaker, after 12 rounds. Whittaker, an Olympic silver medallist, improves to 13-0-1 and keeps his WBC Silver belt. Wallace, the Irish-born fighter based in Australia, drops to 17-2. He had come in on a run of ten straight wins.
How the fight went
For nine rounds, it went Whittaker's way. Sky Sports described him controlling the distance and outboxing Wallace with his speed and movement, building a big lead on the cards.
Things changed in the 10th round, when Wallace landed a heavy shot. In the 12th, Whittaker was badly hurt. Sky Sports reported that Whittaker went down three times in the last round, but the referee did not rule any of them a knockdown. Whittaker made it to the final bell, and his work in the early rounds was enough.
The scores show how close it became. A 115-113 card means one judge had only a single round between them at the end. Had any of those falls been scored as knockdowns, the result could have been much tighter.
What it means for Whittaker
Whittaker came into the fight after his US debut in June, when he stopped Richard Rivera in two rounds on the undercard of Jaron Ennis vs Xander Zayas. Winning the eliminator puts him in line for a shot at the IBF light-heavyweight title. The performance also drew criticism: BoxingScene's verdict was that Whittaker won but did not impress, given how much trouble he was in during the closing rounds.
No date or opponent for his next fight had been announced as of Monday.
Undercard results
The Birmingham card, shown on DAZN, also included:
- Hamza Uddin won the British and Commonwealth flyweight titles by stopping Sean Bruce in round eight.
- Bilal Fawaz kept his British super-welterweight title, stopping Eithan James in round eight after two knockdowns.
- Ibraheem Sulaimaan defended his English super-featherweight title against Sonny Hardy on a unanimous decision.
- Odel Kamara won his professional debut with a third-round stoppage of Thodoris Ritzakis at super welterweight.
Watching from Malaysia
Ring walks for the main event were scheduled for about 5pm US Eastern time on Saturday, which is around 5am on Sunday in Malaysia. Most Malaysian fans will have caught up with the result over breakfast on Sunday.
Key takeaways
- Ben Whittaker beat Conor Wallace by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 115-113) in an IBF light-heavyweight final eliminator.
- Whittaker dominated early but was badly hurt in the 10th and 12th rounds.
- He is now 13-0-1; Wallace drops to 17-2.
- Hamza Uddin won British and Commonwealth flyweight titles on the undercard.
FAQ
Who won Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace? Ben Whittaker, by unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
What did Whittaker win? The fight was an IBF light-heavyweight final eliminator, which puts him in line for an IBF title shot. He also kept his WBC Silver belt.
Where did the fight take place? At the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, on Saturday 3 October (UK time).
Sources: Sky Sports, Fightmag, Yahoo Sports, Boxing News, BoxingScene