Ben Whittaker nearly blew it in Birmingham on Saturday, and now his trainer says there was a reason. Conor Wallace had him holding on for dear life in the 12th round of their IBF final eliminator, but Whittaker made it to the bell and took the unanimous decision, 117-111, 116-112, 115-113.
After the fight, trainer Andy Lee told reporters the late wobble had an explanation: “This man had COVID last week. He was in bed. No excuses, but Ben was in bed with COVID last week.” Whittaker had his own version: “It was too easy and I took my eye off the ball a little bit.”
The win makes him the mandatory challenger for the winner of Bivol vs Callum Smith on December 12, though the shot may not come until next summer. Wallace wants a rematch, and Lee is up for it: “I swear to god, we will have the rematch.”
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