IBF-ийн чансааны заавал тулалдах эрхээ авсан Бен Уиттакерын сүүлийн тулаан түүнийг дэлхийн аваргатай өрсөлдөхөд бэлэн бус байгааг харууллаа.
Бен Уиттакер Конор Уоллестой хийсэн тулаанд ялалт байгуулж, IBF-ийн аваргын бүсний төлөөх заавал тулалдах эрхээ баталгаажуулсан хэдий ч үзүүлсэн тоглолт нь олон хүний эргэлзээг төрүүлэв. Тэрээр тулааны туршид анхаарлаа төвлөрүүлж чадахгүй байсан бөгөөд өрсөлдөгчөөсөө ирсэн дарамтыг даван туулах явцдаа ядарч, сульдаж байгаа нь илт байлаа. Эдгээр сул тал нь Дмитрий Биволын эсрэг рингэнд гарах үед ноцтой эрсдэл дагуулахыг мэргэжилтнүүд сануулж байна.
Дмитрий Бивол бол өрсөлдөгчөө байнгын дарамтад оруулж, алдаа гаргахыг хүлээдэг, тактикийн хувьд маш өндөр сахилга баттай боксчин юм. Уиттакерын хувьд тулааны туршид анхаарлаа алдахгүй байх нь хамгийн том сорилт болох бөгөөд хэрэв Конор Уоллес түүнийг 12 дугаар раунд хүртэл хүнд байдалд оруулж чадсан бол Бивол түүнээс ч богино хугацаанд ялалт байгуулах боломжтой.
Олимпын мөнгөн медальт, 29 настай Уиттакерын хувьд өнөөгийн ур чадвар нь нэгэнт тогтсон гэж үзэж байна. Промоутер Эдди Херн түүнийг сайжруулахын тулд илүү их хугацаа шаардлагатай гэж мэдэгдсэн ч энэ нь түүний ирээдүйн ашигтай тулааныг хамгаалах гэсэн оролдлого гэж шинжээчид дүгнэжээ. Бивол эхлээд Каллум Смиттэй тулалдахаар төлөвлөж байгаа бөгөөд Уиттакерын аваргын төлөөх боломж нь тухайн үед бүс эзэмшигч хэн байхаас хамаарна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
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Ben Whittaker has earned the IBF mandatory position for Dmitry Bivol’s title, but his difficult finish against Conor Wallace leaves him looking like a considerable underdog against the champion. His speed and reflexes give him tools to compete. Maintaining them under Bivol’s sustained demands would be the harder task.
After tonight’s performance by Whittaker, you’d have to say his chances against Bivol are slim to none. If Dmitry Bivol was watching that performance tonight, he was probably laughing.
Whittaker squeaked past Conor Wallace, but it looked less like an elite operator claiming a mandatory slot and more like a fighter crashing into his ceiling. Wallace is a solid domestic level operator, yet he dragged Whittaker into deep water, clipped him repeatedly, and exposed the gaping flaws behind the theatrical routine.
Whittaker secured his position by beating Wallace in their final eliminator. The title opportunity remains dependent on who holds the belt when his challenge comes, with Bivol due to face Callum Smith first.
Concentration is Whittaker’s biggest enemy. Whittaker admitted he stopped listening to Andy Lee mid-fight to appease the audience. Against a robotic tactician like Bivol, losing your focus for even ten seconds results in eating flush right hands that change the fight instantly. Gas tank reality. Whittaker was breathing heavy and looking ragged down the stretch against Wallace.
Bivol sets a relentless pace behind a high guard, constantly applying pressure while never wasting movement. Whittaker will not have the stamina to dance away for thirty-six minutes.
Eddie Hearn talking about needing more time to improve is just standard promoter damage control. Hearn knows exactly what he has, and more importantly, he knows what he saw tonight.
At 29 years old, with an Olympic silver medal and years in the elite amateur system, Whittaker is already a finished product. A fighter does not suddenly rewire their ring DNA, develop an impenetrable defense, or cure a gas tank deficiency across one or two training camps. The fighter you see today is the finished article.
The talk about needing another fight is really about buying time and protecting an investment. Whittaker sells tickets and generates viral clips with his theatrics. Pitching him against Bivol right now brings that party to a screeching halt. Hearn wants at least one more payday before his guy gets routed.
The flaws exposed tonight are baked into Whittaker. The clowning, the lapses in discipline, and ignoring his corner are not rookie mistakes. They are deep habits. When Wallace refused to be intimidated and kept throwing, Whittaker had zero answers except clinching and trying to survive to the final bell.
Bivol is the ultimate nightmare style for a fighter with Whittaker’s flaws. Bivol never gets lured into theatrics. He controls distance with an active jab, punches in straight lines, and does not let opponents rest. If Conor Wallace can back Whittaker up and have him gasping in the 12th round, Bivol would dismantle him methodically within six rounds.
Fighting another fringe contender changes nothing. Beating another Richard Rivera or domestic-level operator in a tune-up will not prepare Whittaker for elite light heavyweight pressure. It just papers over the cracks for a few more months.
