Conor Wallace believes the referee made it harder for him to finish Ben Whittaker last Saturday, allowing him to hold while hurt and declining to count falls that Wallace felt deserved knockdowns.
The late trouble also gives Eddie Hearn a reason to think carefully about a rematch. Neither Hearn nor Whittaker has committed to facing Wallace again, and the promoter has mentioned other possible opponents.
“I do definitely feel like the referee didn’t do me any favors,” Wallace told talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show on Tuesday morning. “I definitely feel like one or possibly two of them should have been knockdowns, and he was holding on for dear life.
“You need to be given a chance to get going, and I was trying to get the action going. Yes, I did smother myself a little bit. Maybe I was trying too hard to put him away. I should have shortened those shots when I look back at it, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
Wallace puts his complaint at one or possibly two knockdowns. There is a case for examining all three falls, along with Whittaker’s repeated holding. Counting those falls and deducting points could have changed the result. Enforcing the rules on holding could also have forced Whittaker to keep fighting when he was struggling to survive.
Wallace accepts that he contributed to the missed opportunity by crowding his punches. Shorter shots and a little more room could make him harder to contain if he gets Whittaker hurt again.
He also wants to start faster, having conceded the early rounds. That requires care against Whittaker’s counter right, but Wallace now has twelve rounds of experience against him and knows he can cause trouble late.
Hearn has talked about Whittaker as a generational talent. Putting him straight back in with someone who came close to stopping him would put that description to a serious test. Wallace may have his number, particularly if he improves his opening rounds and finishes more patiently.
Choosing another opponent would be understandable from Hearn’s side. Whittaker already has his IBF mandatory position, and another Wallace fight brings considerable risk. Wallace’s confidence alone will not get the rematch made; Hearn and Whittaker still have to decide whether they want to take that chance.