Ben Whittaker is building momentum, and a strong victory in his next fight with Conor Wallace should put a mouthwatering clash with IBF champion Dmitry Bivol on the table. Victory in the IBF light heavyweight eliminator brings the champion into view, exactly where Whittaker has been aiming since leaving the Olympic Games with silver five years ago.
Olympic experience fuels Whittaker's pro ambition
Whittaker was distraught to fall at the final hurdle in Tokyo, where he lost to veteran Cuban Arlen Lopez. But you don't get that far without talent, and that type of experience teaches you something. It gives you strength and motivation to bite down on that gumshield and go again.
That's what you have to do to succeed. As good as you are, at some point you will meet a fighter just as talented, who wants it just as much. Lopez was that man at the Olympics. Whittaker, I have no doubt, can be that man in the pros. Wallace thinks differently, of course, and that's good because Whittaker needs the test.
Wallace brings experience edge
This is only Whittaker's 14th pro fight. Wallace, a 6ft 3ins southpaw, is a year older and grinds out his wins. He has gone 12 rounds once before, edging a split decision two years ago, so he knows what that feels like. Whittaker doesn't, and though the fight is scheduled for 12, I doubt he will in Birmingham.
Though Wallace, an Irish lad from Newry who turned pro Down Under, has the greater experience on paper, none of it has been gained outside Australia. In fact he has fought outside Queensland only once, and that was across the New South Wales border in Sydney. Though he is ranked second in the IBF rankings, one spot above Whittaker, these things don't tell you everything. Talent will decide this contest, and Whittaker has more of it.
Whittaker's world-class potential
We had a novice Whittaker in our gym. I saw a fighter of genuine world class with a very good work ethic. He's willing to learn, and very little flusters him. He's self-confident. Some might say cocky. But that's just who he is. And that's okay. The game needs unconventional figures, fighters who surprise you.
Though Bivol is his target, Whittaker will jump at any title that is up for grabs. Bivol and Artur Beterbiev are the benchmark, but they won't be around forever. Bivol is slated to fight mandatory challenger Callum Smith next, with the victor fighting the Birmingham winner. I think Whittaker beats up Wallace and stops him halfway. Whittaker gets people out of there. He's box office, a genuine talisman for British boxing in the years ahead.
