Ben Whittaker (13-0-1) survived a desperate final round to defeat Conor Wallace (17-2) by unanimous decision tonight at Utilita Arena in Birmingham, securing the IBF mandatory position at light heavyweight. Whittaker retained his WBC Silver title, but the closing minutes raised questions about his readiness for a world championship fight.
The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. No knockdowns were officially recorded, although Whittaker’s falls during Wallace’s final-round assault became a disputed part of the result.
Whittaker controlled most of the first nine rounds, building the lead that ultimately protected his unbeaten record. Wallace could not collect enough rounds early, leaving the Northern Irish-born Australian southpaw needing a dramatic turnaround down the stretch.
He began finding more success in the tenth. With his feet planted, Wallace landed shots that disrupted Whittaker’s rhythm, while the home fighter complained to the referee. Whittaker recovered to take the 11th before Wallace launched his strongest attack in the final round.
Wallace hurt Whittaker and pursued the stoppage, forcing him to grab, stumble and wrestle his way through the remaining time. At one point, Whittaker tackled Wallace as he struggled to stay upright.
Bad Left Hook scored the round 10-8 for Wallace and argued that two or three knockdowns could have been called. Those calls never came, and Whittaker reached the bell with his earlier work enough to secure the decision.
The concern for Whittaker is how little control he had once Wallace hurt him. Holding bought him time, but he struggled to regain his balance or produce enough offense to discourage the pursuit. A stronger finisher could make that escape much harder.
Wallace deserves credit for continuing to press after losing much of the early action. His late surge fell short, but it exposed vulnerabilities that Whittaker and trainer Andy Lee need to address before pursuing the IBF belt held by Dmitry Bivol.