Ben Whittaker needs to go back to British

Ben Whittaker has bypassed the British boxing scene

By Chris Newcombe6 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Whittaker wins against Wallace — Ben Whittaker needs to go back to BritishMatchroom

Ben Whittaker is now the top-rated light-heavyweight contender to Dmitry Bivol's IBF world title

Following his hard-fought points win over the Australian-based Irishman, Conor Wallace, Ben Whittaker has secured the mandatory position for a shot at the IBF Light-Heavyweight title that is currently held by Dmitry Bivol, but after an unconvincing display, there are perhaps more questions than answers as to Whittaker’s standing at world level.

‘The Surgeon’ dominated the fight for the most part without ever seriously threatening to close the show with a fifth consecutive stoppage and improved his record in the paid ranks to 13-0-1 in the process, but he had to survive some worrying moments in the final rounds as Wallace went for broke.

Queensland's Wallace, whose record fell to 17-2 in the Second City, rallied as his hopes of a world title shot looked to be slipping away, the southpaw landing a series of left hands in the 10th that caused Whittaker to stagger and stumble, hitting the canvas, but referee Kieran McCann failed to award any knockdowns.

For the Whittaker followers, there was more moments of concern in the final stanza as Wallace again landed, a jab followed by a straight left that had the home favourite on unsteady legs and attempting to grab hold of the underdog’s midriff, eventually falling to the canvas but again McCann, as he did on two further occasions in the round after follow up attacks from Wallace, did not award them as knockdowns.

Tokyo Olympic Silver medalist, Whittaker, whose best moment of the fight came in the third round when he caught Wallace to the top of the head with a sharp left hand before attacking the body, was able to hold on until the final bell to be awarded a unanimous decision with Victor Loughlin scoring it a wide 117-111, Alexander Plummans reaching a 116-112 score and Enrico Terlizzi going for a tight 115-113 card.

Post-fight Whittaker somewhat surprisingly welcomed calls for a rematch and bullishly stated “I think we should do it again and I’ll beat him down even better,” and Eddie Hearn echoed his fighter's idea, billing the rematch as a “big, big fight” before mentioning the upcoming Joshua Buatsi-Willy Hutchinson rematch, which could be for the WBC belt, as an alternative path to the IBF.

For the first nine rounds, there was plenty of evidence to see why Hearn and Matchroom have big plans for Whittaker as he has the skills to compete at the top end of a thriving 175lbs division.

In contrast, however, there were also a fair share of alarming moments in the last quarter of the contest, especially, to suggest that against a world class opponent such as a Dmitry Bivol who Whittaker may end up facing down the line in a world title bout, he would find himself exposed as he would surely not be able to showboat and fight at his preferred, relatively slow pace for the majority of the contest.

Rather than head straight for the winner of Bivol vs Callum Smith, Whittaker would be better off swerving away from an immediate world title shot, for now.

In his 14-fight career, he has largely bypassed the domestic scene and traditional titles on his route to securing the mandatory position, but now may be the perfect time to re-assess before he looks to mix it with the elite at 175lbs.

A plethora of options will be on the table including the Wallace rematch, a domestic showdown with world title contender Anthony Yarde or current British champion Lewis Edmonson, or perhaps a European title shot against Luca D’Ortenzi, who is due to defend his title next month.

Zak Chelli was quick to lay down the gauntlet to his fellow Brit, by warning him that he would have knocked him out if he was in there with him that night.

After Craig Richards' latest loss, the 36-year-old ‘Spider’ could assume the gatekeeper role against the rising star, seven years his junior. Richards has only won five from his last 10, so he is well into the twilight of his boxing career now.

There's also the likes of Dan Azeez, Bradley Rea, Lerrone Richards - all big British names that are realistic scalps available to him.

Those fights, although they won’t have a world title on the line, will all test Whittaker’s mettle as much as his skill with the opponents who, after his latest showing, will fancy their chances of upsetting the applecart and securing a statement victory.

Whichever option he chooses, the next chapter of the Ben Whittaker story may well reveal his true standing in the light-heavyweight title picture.