Ben Whittaker dominated Conor Wallace for nine rounds before having a serious scare. The IBF Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator was contested to decide who would be the mandatory challenger for Dmitry Bivol. Whittaker is a Tokyo Olympic Silver Medalist from the UK. He faced Wallace of Australia who was born in the UK and this was his first fight away from home.
Whittaker was in total control after nine rounds. Both the DAZN unofficial score card and my score card read an identical 90-81. According to the stats on the screen, Wallace had only landed seventeen total punches to that point. Whittaker with a mix of great anticipation and head movement paired with sharp counters kept Wallace in check. Wallace appeared to be sleep walking to a decision loss when when he first caught Whittaker with a left hand.
Whittaker resorted to falling in at the waist and clinching to survive. The fight became a sloppy contest with holding and inside exchanges. Whittaker showed plenty of resolve to get back to boxing smarter and doing what worked. Trainer Andy Lee demanded Whittaker to box like he had all fight. Whittaker again got sucked into a brawl.
The slower handed Wallace began to time and counter Whittaker and rocked him in the twelfth round. I had taken notes all fight until this round where I was on the edge of my feet. Between Whittaker being staggered and holding on for dear life and horrific refereeing I was glued to the TV.
Referee Kieren McCann had one of the worst performances officiating in recent memory. He missed multiple knockdowns and should have taken at least one point for holding. Whittaker got hurt by a left cross and clinched before falling to the canvas. Another series of punches from Wallace had Whittaker fall forward and tackle Conor. The referee did not call a knockdown, did not call a foul for tackling, and inexplicably warned Wallace. He continued to warn Wallace for being held and then pushed him back further from Whittaker preventing him from following up.
In the end I scored the final round 10-8 for Wallace despite there not being a knockdown officially called, it was that dominant. My final score was 117-110, with rounds one and eleven being possible rounds for Wallace to tighten the score.
Victor Loughlin 117-111 Alexander Plumanns 116-112 Enrico Terlizzi 115-113
After seeing tonight’s near disaster, I don’t think Whittaker’s team should put him anywhere near Bivol unless their goal is to cash out. Whittaker has a lot of flash but I think he lacks the professional polish to be a championship fighter. He has unbelievable athletic prowess and accurate punching. However, his conditioning is a major concern as his ability to take a punch.
What stands out to me from this near collapse is just how even of a pace Whittaker fought at. He boxes in a calm demeanor and rarely over extended or over committed on offense. I am struggling to understand how he got tired without having a high volume of punches. Also, he was rarely under duress or severely pressured for the vast majority of the fight. I have to believe that versus a legitimate challenger or Dmitry Bivol that he would not make the final bell.
Whittaker is twenty-nine, only has fourteen fights and has no wins over a fighter in the top ten of any sanctioning body or Ring Magazine. Its astounding that he is even ranked as high as he is. Whittaker went twelve rounds for the first time today and only had one fight reach the tenth round prior to today. He lacks experience at the world level and in long fights.
He dominated Wallace so thoroughly early in the fight but continued to play with his food and coast. Rather than take advantage of his superiority he was content to mug and dance and do just enough to edge out an opponent sleep walking through much of the contest. Against a better fighter with more experience, Whittaker will not be able to fight at a leisurely pace for nine rounds.
Here are my round by round notes taken during the fight:
Ben Whittaker vs. Conor Wallace — Round-by-Round Breakdown
Round 1: Both men start by working behind the jab. Whittaker turns to look at the crowd and taunts early on, while Wallace manages to sneak in a few left hands. Neither fighter gets hurt, and neither opens up much in a cautious opening frame.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker
Round 2: Whittaker displays cat-like movement, attempting to lure Wallace into opening up. Wallace marches forward behind a high guard trying to establish his jab. Whittaker turns away to taunt again, then loops a right hand to the body, causing visible reddening on Wallace’s midsection. Whittaker continues to jab the body while Wallace struggles to cut off the ring or corner him. Whittaker raises his glove and taunts once more; Wallace attempts to land straight shots, but Whittaker evades them with lateral movement. Whittaker finishes the round on the front foot, backing Wallace down.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (20–18 Whittaker)
Round 3: Whittaker opens up with fast power shots, leading with a right hand to the body followed by a lead left hook without setting them up behind the jab. Wallace stays calm, but the massive speed difference prevents him from landing—he really has nothing for Whittaker so far. Whittaker opens up inside with hard shots while Wallace attempts to tie him up. Whittaker slips a jab and performs a dance shuffle to escape. Wallace throws a string of jabs, but all miss. A counter left hook over the right appears to hurt Wallace, who stays against the ropes, sticks his tongue out, and smiles. (Note: A cut opens above Wallace’s eye; replays suggest a clash of heads).
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (30–27 Whittaker)
Round 4: A quiet start to the fourth. Whittaker lands a slick up-jab, a right to the body, and another long-range left hook. Whittaker opens up as Wallace wobbles slightly and begins to feel the impact of the shots. Following some roughhousing inside, Whittaker receives a warning for pulling down on the head. Whittaker swaggers around, using head movement to make Wallace’s jabs miss, then looks toward a corner to talk trash. He breaks out a drunken-master-style dance and backs Wallace up with his hands down.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (40–36 Whittaker)
Round 5: Whittaker’s jab draws immediate reactions, forcing Wallace back into the ropes where he lands awkwardly. Wallace tries to feint, but Whittaker stays composed, measuring his opponent and evading incoming shots—though he may be playing around a bit too much. Whittaker avoids overextending and takes his time. In brief exchanges, Whittaker lands in between Wallace’s attempts, though Wallace scores sporadically. Whittaker taunts again, then lands a right hand that wobbles Wallace back to the ropes. Wallace fires straight shots to create separation.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (50–45 Whittaker)
Round 6: Whittaker counters with a left hook, followed by another taunt. Wallace’s jab begins to land, but his work is drowned out by Whittaker’s cleaner, higher-quality output. More of the same dominant action.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (60–54 Whittaker)
Round 7: Whittaker scores with the up-jab while Wallace hesitates to open up out of fear of eating counters. Whittaker avoids applying major pressure, choosing to take his time by flicking jabs to the head and landing a lead right to the body. Whittaker traps Wallace against the ropes, unloads with both hands, and steps out cleanly, slowly chipping away at an overmatched opponent. Wallace applies pressure without a jab and eats a 1–2 for his troubles. Wallace lands a rabbit punch in the clinch. Wallace looks frustrated heading back to his corner, while Whittaker remains completely calm.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (70–63 Whittaker)
Round 8: Wallace comes forward but hesitates to throw, seemingly content to lose the round without taking significant damage. Wallace throws a few straight shots—landing one—before getting caught in a front headlock. Whittaker misses with a hard left uppercut, followed by more taunting and facing away from his opponent. A quiet finish to the round.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (80–72 Whittaker)
Round 9: Wallace has landed just 17 total punches in the fight up to this point. Wallace mimics Whittaker’s taunt back at him and lands a left cross, but Whittaker simply taunts in response. Wallace drives a hard left straight down the middle and attempts a follow-up attack after failing to capitalize immediately, but Whittaker uses a beautiful pivot to evade. After a brief bit of wrestling, Whittaker heads to his corner with a look of frustration.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (90–81 Whittaker)
Round 10: A massive straight left rocks Whittaker, who desperately dives in to hold, sending both men to the canvas where Wallace lands a hard right hand. Wallace receives a warning for a rabbit punch. Wallace counters with a two-punch combination and backs Whittaker up. Whittaker complains to the referee and gets hit while doing so; the referee steps in to break them and warns Wallace for hitting on the break, though Whittaker was turning his head into the shot. A jab snaps Whittaker’s head back, leaving him badly hurt. The referee appears overly involved when he should simply be warning for holding. Wallace lands a hard uppercut with Whittaker clearly hurt, though Whittaker manages to land a hard counter on an aggressive Wallace to survive the round.
Score: 9–10 Wallace (99–91 Whittaker)
(Perspective Note: Either Wallace secures a TKO through cumulative damage, or a brave/desperate Wallace over commits and Whittaker lays him out).
Round 11: Whittaker returns to a straight right to the body, but Wallace holds his ground. Wallace continues to land without inflicting immediate major damage, though he pull-counters a left. Whittaker engages in trading rather than boxing, deviating from his corner’s instructions. Whittaker holds. Wallace lands another sharp left counter. Fatigue sets in on both men, leading to sloppy exchanges. Both fighters land, but Whittaker’s work is slightly cleaner in a very close round.
Score: 10–9 Whittaker (109–100 Whittaker)
Round 12: Round 12 should have featured two knockdowns, accompanied by an excessive amount of holding as the referee repeatedly breaks them up and grants Whittaker time to recover. Wallace is forced to fight both Whittaker and the referee. Whittaker is badly exposed under pressure.
Score: 8–10 Wallace (117–110 Whittaker)
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