Key points:
- Ben Whittaker fights Conor Wallace on October 3 in Birmingham
- Wallace is co-signed to Matchroom and ranked above Whittaker
- The winner will go on to fight for the IBF world light=heavyweight title next
IBF #2 Conor Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) and IBF #3 Ben Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) will lock horns on October 3 in Birmingham in a final eliminator for the IBF World light-heavyweight title, live on DAZN.
The winner of these top two-rated contenders will be first in line to challenge IBF kingpin Dmitry Bivol.
So there’s a lot at stake for Brit boxer Ben, known as “The Surgeon”, whose online clips have gone viral to millions followers on social media, granting him a huge following and fan base both in the UK and the U.S.
But who is his next opponent, Conor Wallace, who doesn’t share those same many millions of followers? With less than 20k following him on Instagram, fighting on the other side of the world, it’s fair to say that not a great deal is known about Whittaker’s 14th ring rival.
So, British Boxing News listed their 10 top facts about him right here.
Conor Wallace facts
1. Conor Wallace was born on 1 April 1996 in Newry, Northern Ireland, and is currently 30-years-old.
2. As an amateur, he won six Irish junior titles and the Intermediates title in 2015.
3. He later moved to Australia to pursue his professional boxing career, after being dropped from the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team in March 2017, where he signed with Steve Deller’s Eureka Promotions, basing himself in Queensland.
4. Conor became well known for working with UFC superstar Conor McGregor. The UFC star was so impressed with Wallace during a sparring session in June 2016 that he flew the 20-year-old youngster out to Las Vegas for the remainder of his training camp for the UFC 202 Nate Diaz rematch.
Following the experience, Conor was subjected to an attack by a ‘vigilante-style’ gang with knuckle dusters outside the Canal Court in Newry, County Down. A fake story of a personal training session lured him to the hotel, where he was subjected to abuse and accusations from the mob, but a member of the public saw it all and reported the situation to the police, who were quickly on hand to take the boxer away for his own safety.
5. Wallace turned professional in 2018 and won his pro debut on September 22 in Queensland via second-round stoppage.
6. He became the Australian light-heavyweight champion in his eighth fight, but lost the title in his first defence when he was defeated by 15-1 Leti Leti via mixed decision in April 2021.
7. 19 months later, in November 2022, he avenged that sole defeat by knocking Leti Leti out in the sixth-round of their rematch, despite being dropped himself in the third. He was trailing 46-48 on all three cards until he turned things around.
8. In November 2024, he signed a co-promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing, Tasman Fighters, and Goldstar Promotions.
9. He has won three pro titles – Australian, IBF Pan-Pacific, WBO Inter-Continental light-heavyweight titles.
10. Conor is a southpaw standing at 6 feet 3.5 inches and trains and resides in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.
Bonus Fact: His opponents’ combined record adds up to an impressive 180-98.