Chris Oliver previews Saturday night's big fight between Ben Whittaker and Conor Wallace, with a strong bet in his staking plan.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday Oct 3
2pts Ben Whittaker to win in rounds 1-6 at 6/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, William Hill)
Ben Whittaker’s charge towards a world title shot continues when he takes on Conor Wallace in Birmingham on Saturday night.
The DAZN-televised bout is an eliminator for the IBF light heavyweight title, but quite how these two have ended up as the next in line to champion Dmitry Bivol in their rankings is a mystery.
Neither man has fought anyone near world class so far and they are not ready for a pound-for-pounder like Bivol, but their promoters have played the rankings game well and manoeuvred their men into lofty positions without too much risk.
Despite it being deemed as a step up in class for Whittaker, the West Bromwich fighter is a best price of 1/8, and Wallace is a 15/2 chance, so it may not be the world-class test for the favourite as the promotion suggests.
Whittaker's stock on the rise
Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) was hot property when turning professional after his silver medal at the Olympic Games, but there was more style than substance as he failed to catch the imagination in his opening eight wins.
Then came his controversial technical draw with Liam Cameron in late 2024, when both fighters fell out of the ring during a good spell for Cameron and Whittaker was deemed unfit to continue.
However, a change in trainer to top coach Andy Lee has seen a very different Whittaker and he has been very impressive since. First came his two-round victory in the rematch with Cameron, before three quick stoppage wins against Benjamin Gavazi (KO1), Braian Suarez (KO1) and Richard Rivera (TKO2) have got the hype train back on track.
The switch to Matchroom three fights ago was another turning point and the man with 3.9 million Instagram followers could finally be realising his potential. With the showboating at a minimum now and a more professional approach very evident, he is much more business-like and has a real spite to his work.
Wallace has it all to do
Now he needs a test and Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) fits the bill, on paper at least. The Northern Irishman, now based in Australia, has won all but one of his 18 bouts and he avenged his sole defeat.
His best win was a split decision over Jerome Pampellone in August 2024, and he has won three in a row since, taking his winning streak to 10 in the process and he has good momentum. However, closer inspection of his style and record suggests he may not give Whittaker too much trouble this weekend.
That win over Pampellone hasn’t worked out that well, and it took him six rounds to get rid of Walter Sequeira, who was 28-13-2 at the time, when last seen in April, so this is levels above that opponent. Also, the 30-year-old has never boxed outside of Australia, and we don’t know how he will react going into Whittaker’s back yard at the Utilita Arena.
When @BenGWhittaker last boxed in Brum 🥶#WhittakerWallace | Oct 3 | Live on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/NCN8S3IGHN
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 28, 2026
Despite having a decent enough chin and seemingly a good engine, the visitor is a right-handed southpaw who squares up his feet when he attacks, and he could be tailor-made for Whittaker. The latter has excellent speed of hand and foot and should be far too quick for the underdog.
‘The Surgeon’ is very accurate as well and if Dylan Colin (14-1 at the time) was able to catch Wallace with counters quite regularly last summer, then the sharp-shooting Whittaker should be able to do so with relative ease.
What is the best bet?
So, yes this is a step up from the men Whittaker has been getting rid of in quick fashion of late but maybe not by much and I fancy the home fighter to get the job done before the halfway mark of this 12-rounder at 6/4.
After a stop-start beginning to his career, Whittaker is thriving on the activity he is getting with Matchroom, and his upward trajectory should continue here. Wallace is durable and game enough to give him something to think about, but the latter is pretty slow and the difference in speed should be very evident.
Whittaker cracks too hard for someone as easy to hit as Wallace, who leaves his chin up in the air when he commits, to last too long. That’s why it is only 1/3 for the favourite to get this done inside the distance and another stoppage victory looks on the cards for him, hopefully in the first six rounds.
Posted at 13:05 BST on 02/10/26
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