Dave Allen has assessed whether Ben Whittaker can become a dominant champion at 175lbs, or at least compete with the likes of Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
‘The Surgeon’ entered his first world title eliminator last Saturday, taking on Conor Wallace in an attempt to become the IBF’s leading light-heavyweight contender.
It then seemed, for the first nine rounds, that Whittaker would cruise to an uncomplicated victory, with his speed and elusiveness proving too effective for his opponent.
In round 10, however, Wallace started to find considerable success with the left hand, sending it straight down the pipe out of his southpaw stance.
The Northern Irishman then managed to hurt his man in round 12, but was not awarded a single knockdown after Whittaker touched the canvas on three occasions.
In the end, though, Whittaker won convincingly enough for the no-knockdowns to have no bearing on the result, as the unanimous decision verdict means he will soon be ordered as the mandatory challenger to unified champion Bivol, who is expected to defend his titles against Callum Smith on December 12.
Speaking with talkSPORT, heavyweight veteran Allen suggested Bivol, and indeed Beterbiev, would be a step too far for the 29-year-old.
“Since Ben Whittaker made his debut, I’ve never been massively sold on him as a pro. He’s got unbelievable talent – must be one of the most talented fighters in the UK, if not the world. You watch him and think, ‘Wow, this guy’s incredible’.
“But professional boxing’s 12 rounds. You have to punch; you have to be strong [and] durable. They’re things I think, at a level, he hasn’t got.
“Conor Wallace … how that was a final eliminator for the world title, I will never know.”
Dave Allen calls out Ben Whittaker claiming "he's not a great pro!" 👀😬
Full episode of The Verdict available here: https://t.co/WReYn2MyHg pic.twitter.com/DfYBV8Mzag
— talkSPORT Boxing (@boxing_ts) October 4, 2026
Allen went on to highlight Bivol and Beterbiev as the gold standard at 175lbs, suggesting that, while Whittaker might reach the top level, he does not possess the “physicality” to compete with those two elite-level fighters.
