Conor Wallace nearly overturned nine rounds of Ben Whittaker’s control with a desperate late attack tonight in Birmingham. Whittaker reached the final bell and won a unanimous decision, but his struggle to survive the 12th left a less reassuring picture than the result alone suggests.

Whittaker (13-0-1) retained his WBC Silver light heavyweight title and earned the IBF mandatory position with scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Wallace (17-2) left Utilita Arena without either prize despite producing the fight’s most dangerous moments.

For much of the contest, Wallace could not turn his pressure into enough successful rounds. Whittaker controlled the early action and accumulated the lead that would prove decisive when the fight became difficult late.

Wallace’s tenth round offered the first serious indication that the ending could be different. He planted his feet and landed punches that interrupted Whittaker’s rhythm, drawing complaints to the referee from the home fighter. Whittaker steadied himself in the 11th, but that recovery did not last.

The final round became a fight for survival. Wallace hurt Whittaker and chased the finish while his opponent grabbed, fell and, at one stage, tackled him in an effort to remain upright.

No knockdowns were officially scored. Several of Whittaker’s falls could arguably have been ruled knockdowns, making the referee’s decision to count none a disputed part of the frantic final round.

Wallace paid for his slow start on the scorecards. Leaving himself needing a stoppage meant his strongest round arrived with little room for anything short of a finish.

For Whittaker, the next task is showing he can recover under pressure without losing his shape so completely. His early boxing earned the victory, but once hurt, he struggled to stop Wallace’s attack or create enough space to reset.

The mandatory position puts him in line for the IBF championship held by Dmitry Bivol. After this ending, trainer Andy Lee has clear defensive work to address before Whittaker takes that step.

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