LONDON — Boxing promoter Frank Warren has cast doubt on Ben Whittaker’s prospects of challenging Dmitry Bivol for the IBF light-heavyweight title. Whittaker earned his status as the mandatory challenger on Saturday by securing a unanimous decision victory (117-111, 116-112, 115-113) against Australia’s Conor Wallace.
While Whittaker controlled the opening 10 rounds, he faced significant pressure in the final stages of the match as Wallace rallied. The late-round struggle highlighted concerns regarding Whittaker's stamina, leading Warren to offer a blunt assessment of a potential clash with the unified champion. Speaking to Playbook Boxing, Warren stated: “Anyone who makes [Dmitry Bivol vs Whittaker] should be reported to the NSPCC. He’s a nice guy, good luck to him and Matchroom done a good job in promoting him — they got everybody talking about him — but you’ve got to have some substance and the substance at the end of the day just isn’t there.”
Whittaker, who recently survived a scare against Wallace to earn his title shot, remains well-positioned within the WBC rankings, which may provide an alternative route to world honours. Meanwhile, Bivol is scheduled to defend his unified light-heavyweight titles against Callum Smith in Russia this December.