What to Know
- British light heavyweight contender Ben Whittaker hopes a win over Conor Wallace on Saturday in Birmingham, England in the IBF title eliminator will put him closer to a title fight.
- With a win, Whittaker could become the top contender for the winner of the December fight between current light heavyweight unified champion Dmitriy Bivol and countryman Callum Smith.
- The Matchroom Boxing fight card airs in the U.S. on DAZN Boxing starting with prelims at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT and the main card at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
Sometimes he’s brilliant, sometimes he’s a hot mess. It’s what makes British light heavyweight Ben Whittaker such a compelling boxer to watch.
Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) returns to the Utilita Arena in his hometown of Birmingham, England, on Saturday to take on Conor Wallace of Australia (17-1, 12 KOs). A win is critical to the future of both men. The winner becomes the number one IBF contender at light heavyweight and the likely challenger for the winner of December’s bout between Unified ruler Dmitry Bivol and Britain’s Callum Smith.
Currently ranked third by the IBF, Whittaker is also ranked second by the WBC. Whittaker will defend his secondary WBC Silver belt in Saturday’s fight.
Both men made weight, with Whittaker at 174.5 pounds and Wallace at 173.9 pounds.
The Ben Whittaker Puzzle
Fans can never be sure what to expect from Whittaker, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist for Team GB who has delivered thrills and spills in his brief pro career so far. Flashes of sheer brilliance have given British boxing fans hope for a new champion in a competitive light heavyweight division.
To quote a fairy tale, when Whittaker is good, he’s very good. But when he’s bad, he’s horrid. Whittaker’s oversized personality has sometimes gotten in the way of his obvious athletic talent.
At Thursday’s final pre-fight news conference, things got a little spicy between Whittaker and Wallace as they appeared together for the first time.
Whittaker said he understands Wallace has come to England to change his life. While he called him game and tough, he then dismissed Wallace as merely a “stepping stone” in his mission to rise in the light heavyweight division to become a world champion.
Wallace, a native of Newry, Northern Ireland, will have plenty of fans on his side Saturday night. They showed up in force, cheering Wallace on at Friday’s weigh-in. He expressed nothing but confidence despite being the underdog.
“It’s great to be here. Nothing like the Fighting Irish, but I’m the one doing the fighting,” said Wallace after he stepped off the scale.
“I’ve worked my whole night for fights like this. This is the biggest test of my career, I know that. The better the fighter, the better I perform. It’s like a fight in my hometown, not his. We’ve got a good game plan in place. I know he’s a tough fighter. I’m ready for the task.”
Whittaker toned down his antics from Thursday, but it’s always a matter of degree with ‘The Surgeon.’
“You know what time it is. You know what I bring, I bring the glitz, the glam. Tomorrow’s work time. There’s levels in this game for a reason. He’s happy to be here. I’m meant to be here,” said Whittaker.
Is Whittaker More Like Ryan Garcia – Or Moses Itauma?
Comparing Whittaker to two fighters of the current generation with obvious athletic skills who have taken serious losses on their way up might be risky. I’m going to do it anyway.
Heavyweight Moses Itauma had blasted through opponents in less than four rounds in all but two of his 14 professional fights. He was hailed as the future face of boxing and king of the heavyweight division. Then on August 29, he ran into Croatian veteran Filip Hrgovic. The lack of experience and going deeper into the rounds resulted in a shocking knockout loss.
Although Ryan Garcia had more than 200 amateur fights and a longer resume than Itauma, it’s fair to say he was completely humiliated in his loss to Rolly Romero in May 2025. But to his credit, Garcia has bounced back with two smashing knockout performances against Mario Barrios and Conor Benn just three weeks ago.
Whittaker has spent all of 426 seconds in the ring since making his Matchroom Boxing debut last November and has fought a total of 58 rounds across 13 professional fights. Whittaker narrowly avoided his own humiliating loss in a bizarre technical decision after six rounds against Liam Cameron. It’s a fight that has to be seen to be believed.
Trained by the highly respected former champion Andy Lee, Whittaker says he would like to get more rounds, but then again, maybe not.
“I’d love to do the rounds, but I’d not love to either. There’s nothing better than knocking people out before you get backstage to eat some Five Guys then chilling out,” laughed Whittaker.
“The fans are paying their hard-earned money, so to get the rounds and look good under the lights to earn my money would be nice as well.”
Whittaker, known as “The Surgeon,” showed up in a skeleton onesie costume and had words with Wallace at the news conference faceoff. Whittaker’s big personality came out to play, and his fans love it.
Wallace said he loves the big crowds even if they’re cheering against him. “That drives me on, and sometimes Greg [Eadie, Wallace’s trainer] goes a bit mad when I go away from the game plan. But that’s all right. We’ve got a big task ahead, and I am ready to execute the game plan.”
“You know what I bring. I bring the glitz and the glamour every time I step out. This is something different and something special, being back home once again with a massive crowd, so it’s only right that we go one bigger,” explained Whittaker.
Asked how he stacks up to Wallace after the final faceoff in front of the scales, Whittaker said, “He’s got a loss on his record. I ain’t. I’m good-looking. He ain’t. He’s slow as hell. I ain’t. I tick every single box he doesn’t. It’s up to me to show it. Final prediction: PAIN!”
Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn said of Whittaker, “On Saturday night, you’ll see something different in the arena. You will see that growth.
“This will be the biggest crowd we have had in the Midlands since we had Amir Khan around 10 years ago. It’s a huge night with a huge crowd and so much incredible talent on display.”
Whittaker vs Wallace: Prediction
Prediction: Wallace represents a step up for Whittaker, not a huge one but a step up nevertheless. While he’s infamous for his showboating and antics, Whittaker’s narrow escape from a loss appears to have sobered him up. He now presents himself as a religious man, working with God to steady him along his path.
Wallace should give a good account of himself, but Whittaker’s skills in the ring are undeniable. It would benefit him to put in a few rounds before he attempts to end the fight, but no fighter should squander an opportunity if he sees it.
Pro Debut from “King” Kamara in Matchroom Co-Main
It’s unusual to see a boxer making his professional debut in the co-main event. Matchroom Boxing beat out several competitors to sign one of the UK’s top amateur talents, Odel “King” Kamara of Liverpool.
The 22-year-old super welterweight is a seven-time national champion and World Boxing Cup gold medalist. Kamara has been entrusted to respected trainer Tony Sims in Essex, and is in a gym surrounded by current and former world champions. Kamara weighed in at 156 pounds.
Kamara says his favorite local boxers are Tony Bellew, the Smith brothers, and women’s champion Natasha Jonas.
He will face Thodoris Ritzakis of Greece (5-5-1), who is 37 years old. Everyone knows how this is supposed to go down. Ritzakis weighed in at 156.3 pounds.
Also worth noting, Hamza Uddin of Walsall (7-0, 4 KOs) battles Sean Bruce of Leicester (8-2) for the British and Commonwealth Flyweight titles. Uddin weighed in at 111.4 pounds, Bruce at the flyweight limit of 112 pounds even.
Bilal Fawaz of London (12-1-1, 4 KOs) defends his British and Commonwealth Super Welterweight titles against Eithan James of Northampton (17-2). Weights: 153.3 for Fawaz, 153.4 for James.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
