- Ben Whittaker outpointed Conor Wallace by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 115-113) in Birmingham to win the IBF light heavyweight final eliminator
- Wallace hurt him in the 10th and badly shook him up in the 12th, with Whittaker stumbling three times without any of it being ruled a knockdown
- I rate the win, but Dmitry Bivol would have punished that final round far harder, and Whittaker has to tighten up before the shot arrives
Whittaker Wallace Result: A Win, But Not The One I Called
Right then. Let's start with the honest bit. I said Whittaker would stop Wallace between rounds seven and ten, and that did not happen. What did happen is that Ben Whittaker took a unanimous decision on the scorecards, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113, and that is the Whittaker Wallace result that matters. He is now the IBF's final eliminator winner, which puts him in line for Dmitry Bivol.
The cards tell you he was clearly ahead for most of the night. They do not tell you how nervy the finish got.
The Rounds That Nearly Changed Everything
Whittaker was boxing well and banking rounds until Conor Wallace found him in the 10th with a big shot. Then came the 12th, and make no mistake, that was a proper scare. Wallace shook Whittaker up badly, Whittaker stumbled and fell three times, and none of it was ruled a knockdown. He clinched like a man who knew exactly how close the fight was to turning, and he got to the bell.
Credit To Wallace
Wallace promised a knockout all week and he gave himself a real chance of delivering it. He is a 2020 Olympic silver medallist and he never stopped coming. He did not win, but he made Whittaker earn it in the harshest way possible, and his stock does not drop.
Why Bivol Is A Different Problem
Here is where I get a bit stern. The speed, the angles and the showmanship all worked for most of this fight. But the same openness that let Wallace land late is the kind of thing that a fighter of Bivol's calibre will punish with patience and precision. Bivol does not need a wild final round to beat you, he just needs you to give him the first mistake. If you know, you know.
I covered the build-up in Whittaker faces Wallace with a Bivol shot on the line, and the question then was whether he could stay disciplined for twelve rounds. Over ten of them he did. The last two are the ones Bivol will be watching on repeat.
The Prediction
Let's not beat around the bush. Whittaker has earned the shot and he deserves the platform, but if he boxes Bivol the way he boxed the closing rounds in Birmingham, I make Bivol a clear winner, with the Russian taking over from the middle rounds and finishing it late. If the Whittaker of rounds one to nine shows up, he can make it competitive, but that is the version he has to bottle. Brilliant night for him, and a proper reality check at the same time.