Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace Preview October 3rd, 2026
There’s a pretty good 10-round IBF light heavyweight eliminator from Birmingham, England this Saturday, October 3rd as unbeaten prospect and hometown hero Ben Whittaker takes on Conor Wallace of Northern Ireland. The fight can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Whittaker last fought in June when he stopped Richard Rivera in the second round to defend his WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Belt. In his previous outing in April, Whittaker halted Braian Nahuel Suarez in just 144 seconds. and in the fight before that he disposed of Benjamin Gavazi in only 135 seconds to win the vacant WBC Silver Crown. Wallace’s last outing resulted in a sixth-round KO over Walter Gabriel Sequeira.
Whittaker vs Wallace Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Connor Wallace +560
- Ben Whittaker -1000
My Pick
The 29-year-old Whittaker makes the ring walk with a near-perfect mark of 12-0-1 with 9 Ko’s and has boxed 58 rounds since making his pro debut in 2022. He had a stellar amateur career by reportedly racking up a record of 53-13 and capturing a silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He also won a silver at the 2019 European Games as well as a bronze at the 2019 World Championships and a gold at the 2018 EU Championships.
As a pro, Whittaker won the vacant IBF International Light Heavyweight Title in June, 2024 with a unanimous 10-round decision over Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka. He fought for the vacant WBO Global Light Heavyweight Belt four months later against Liam Cameron. That the fight ended in a six-round technical draw after both boxers fell out of the ring and Whittaker couldn’t continue. The pair met in a rematch six months later with Whittaker halting Cameron in the second round to retain his IBF Title.
Whittaker measures 6-feet-3-inches with a 75-inch reach. As far as power is concerned, he has displayed quite a bit of it lately and 75 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last four straight. However he’s more known for his unorthodox style and showboating in the ring while feinting and slipping punches. Whittaker enters the fight ranked number two in the world by the WBC, third by the IBF and fourth by the WBO.
As for Wallace, he’s a 30-year-old southpaw who resides in Queensland, Australia. He enters the ring with an impressive mark of 17-1 with 12 Ko’s and has gone 93 rounds since turning pro in 2018. As an amateur he fought a reported 175 times and was a seven-time Irish National Champion. He was also a sparring partner for UFC star Conor McGregor in the past. Wallace also possesses pretty good power as 70.6 per cent of his wins have come by way of stoppage.
Size-wise, Wallace stands half-an-inch taller than Whittaker at just under 6-foot-4. Unfortunately he has an unlisted reach though. His lone pro defeat came at the hands of Leti Leti by way of a 10-round majority decision in 2021 to lose this Australian Light Heavyweight Belt. Wallace had won the vacant title in his previous contest six months earlier via a five-round technical decision over Mitchell Whitelaw. Wallace suffered a badly cut eye after an accidental clash of heads and the fight was halted after the fifth round.
Early in his career Wallace won the vacant Australian National Boxing Federation Queensland Light Heavyweight Belt. In 2022 he won the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Light Heavyweight Title with a 10-round split decision over Faris Chevalier. He then added the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Belt in 2024 with a 12-round split decision over Jerome Pampellone. Wallace has never fought outside of Australia as a pro and his opposition so far has been at the domestic level.
Prediction…
Wallace has plenty of power but he doesn’t really match Whittaker when it comes to pure boxing skills. He’s also fighting on the road for the first time and taking a step up in class. I suppose he has a puncher’s chance here if he can tag the elusive Whittaker on the chin but that’s a lot easier said than done. Whittaker has superior boxing skills and footwork and as usual will probably engage in some showboating while he’s at it. This is what makes him such a polarizing figure as fans either love or hate him. Still, I’m expecting Whittaker to win this fight with a stoppage possibly being in the cards too.
Whittaker is a class above Wallace at the moment.
Play: Whittaker -1000 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Ben Whittaker betting • Conor Wallace betting