Britain’s lightweight Ben Whittaker survived a dramatic late attack by Conor Wallace to take a step closer to a world title shot with a points victory in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old ruled much of the fight with a display of his skill and superior boxing skills in the Utilita Arena before Wallace came roaring around the ball.
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The Northern Irishman Whittaker drove sixteenth and came close to a remarkable turn 12, with the home team forced to hold on until the final bell.
The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 as Whittaker became the challenger for the IBF world title.
“It was easy and I got my eye on the ball a little bit. He caught me with a good shot but boxed,” said Whittaker.
“When it was a little too easy, I was playing too much and doing silly things.”
The Olympic silver medalist took his unbeaten record to 13 wins and one draw and is now the new challenger for IBF champion Dmitry Bivol, who also holds the WBA “super” and WBO belts and is expected to face Liverpool’s Callum Smith in December.
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Wallace, 30, suffered the second loss of his 19-fight career and called for an immediate rematch.
“If he wants to run back he can beat us again. If not, we’ll move,” replied Whittaker.
Showboating Whittaker is stuck in Birmingham
Ben Whittaker made his profession in July 2022 [Getty Images]
Whittaker made an extravagant entrance, with a live string band playing the WWE star’s theme song before Karen changed to “Icon.”
Despite being from West Bromwich Albion, Whittaker was greeted with boos and cheers from around 5,000 fans inside the arena.
Lively in the third fight with Whittaker, Wallace briefly runs through with a front kick.
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Wallace’s aid was heard on its way, only to be submerged from the air stealthily into the arena as Whittaker found his rhythm.
Among the attendants were former UFC champion Leon Edwards and American Cassondra Gainey, who traveled nearly four miles from North Carolina after social media support for Whittaker helped lift his spirits during his cancer treatment.
Waleys had a warning of what was to come when he landed heavily on the left in the sixth.
“Stay focused. Because you’re comfortable, you’re not lazy,” trainer Andy Lee told Whittaker, who regained control before the 10th round was nearly fatal.
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Wallach hurt him with a left southpaw before Whittaker walked in for a huge throw and looked in serious trouble.
Whittaker briefly got some reprieve when Wallace was warned to knock on the break, but continued as he felt he could suddenly push for a major upset.
Whittaker hit the canvas three times in the final round, none of them landing blows, as Wallace threw everything at his visibly tired opponent.
In the end, Whittaker had done enough to win, but not without Wallace and his sponsorship cause to wonder what could have happened with a little more time.
“I’m just checking myself,” he said. “I feel like I have the best support in the world. This felt like my home show tonight, even though it’s in Birmingham.”
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Promoter Eddie Hearn accepted the possibility of a rematch: “We know Ben is in a position to fight the winner of Bivol-Smith, but it probably won’t be until next summer, so he has to fight in the meantime.”
Kamara wins debut, British title success for Fawaz & Uddin
On a strong undercard display of domestic talent, there was British-Title success for Walsall’s Hamza Uddin and London’s Bilal Fawaz.
Nigerian-born Fawaz, who fights for the British Diplomat, stopped Eithan James in the eighth to retain the British and Commonwealth light middleweight titles.
Fawaz – who earned a £5,000 stoppage bonus offered to him by supporter Hearn earlier in the night – shouted out IBF world champion Josh Kelly and Conor Benn after his victory.
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“It doesn’t matter who is in front of me, with the ability to achieve what we are trying to achieve, nobody can stop us unless they are at world level,” Fawaz told BBC Radio 5 Live.
23. Unbeaten Uddin, dominated by Sean Bruce, drops him twice in the fifth by punishing body and head shots in the eighth row.
They show Uddin in the eighth heavy right. Bruce entered at the count of nine before the referee.
Given star billing in the main support of his professional debut, amateur standout Odel Kamara, 22, dominated Theodoris Ritzakis, dropping the Greek in the first before a somewhat premature third round stoppage.
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“Liverpool has a star. Britain has a star. The kid is going all the way,” Hearn said of the debutant.