Ben Whittaker is in advanced negotiations to face Aussie puncher Conor Wallace in an IBF final eliminator, talkSPORT.com understands.
The IBF requested the availability of No.3-ranked Whittaker and No.2-rated Wallace last week, and both camps are now nearing a deal.
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Whittaker has stopped his last four opponents inside two roundsCredit: Getty
While Wallace’s manager, Mick Francis, pushed for the fight to take place in Australia, it appears that the contest is heading to Whittaker’s hometown of Birmingham.
Sources close to the deal indicate that the Utilita Arena will host the light heavyweight showdown on October 3.
DAZN are set to broadcast the event, which will be promoted by Matchroom Boxing.
Whittaker (12-0-1) has made quick work of his last four opponents since his anticlimactic technical draw with Liam Cameron in October 2024.
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‘The Surgeon’ blew away Richard Rivera inside two rounds in his US debut last month, and was expected to face a domestic rival until the golden opportunity with Wallace came up.
Wallace (17-1) suffered the sole defeat of his career via majority decision to Leti Leti for the Australian light heavyweight title in 2021.
He would rebound to knock out the Samoan-born fighter in a rematch one year later and has won ten fights on the bounce since the setback.
Whoever emerges victorious will fill the vacant No.1 IBF spot and punch their ticket for a mandatory shot at unified WBA, IBF and WBO 175lbs world champion Dmitry Bivol.
The IBF is last in the sanctioning body rotation system for Bivol, as the Russian recently fulfilled his mandatory obligation by outpointing Michael Eifert in May.
He has since been ordered to face WBO interim champion Callum Smith and has been given 20 days to reach an agreement before a purse bid is ordered.
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Wallace is at a similar stage of his career to WhittakerCredit: Getty
Amidst these rapid developments, IBA president Umar Kremlev claims that Bivol’s handlers turned down a lucrative offer to stage a rubber match with Artur Beterbiev in Russia.
“Everyone is waiting for this fight,” Russian boxing mogul Kremlev told Ring Magazine.
“I don’t know why Bivol and his team are not accepting the offer, but I will do my best to make this fight happen.
“We’ve been having discussions with both teams for quite a while.
“I can confirm that Beterbiev and his team are ready for the fight.
“The offer we made to Bivol for the third fight was considerably bigger than the first two fights.
“Specifically, Bivol was given two times a bigger offer than in previous fights. Beterbiev will fight for free just to make this fight happen.”
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