Ahead of the IBF light heavyweight title eliminator at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, Ben Whittaker faced a tough choice—a listless performance or an early elimination. He went ahead with the first option, defeating Conor Wallace by unanimous decision on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and 115-113. While Whittaker is drawing criticism for his showing, reports now reveal the Olympic silver medalist went through a bout of COVID that kept him confined just days before the fight.
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“This man had COVID last week. He was in bed. I swear to god, we will have the rematch,” his trainer Andy Lee reportedly said.
Details surrounding the infection, such as how and when Whittaker contacted the virus and his subsequent treatment, remain limited. However, if true, then the light heavyweight contender’s performance becomes even more notable. There are no prior instances of Whittaker pulling out of or fighting through illness.
There is an example, however, when Whittaker was forced to abandon a fight. The incident took place on October 12, 2024, when his fight with Liam Cameron ended in a controversial draw after Whittaker suffered an ankle injury during a scuffle that saw him flip out of the ring.
But his situation is not unprecedented.
One prominent example is Anthony Joshua. Ahead of his heavyweight title defense against Alexander Povetkin, scheduled on September 22, 2018, at Wembley Stadium, Joshua revealed he had been suffering from a debilitating flu/head cold during fight week and feared he would not be fit enough to perform.
Like Whittaker, he nevertheless went ahead and stopped Povetkin in the seventh round to retain his unified titles.
🚨 Ben Whittaker’s coach Andy Lee has revealed that Whittaker was battling COVID a week before his fight against Conor Wallace 😬 “This man had COVID last week. He was in bed. I swear to god, we will have the rematch."
Much earlier, in 2014, Tyson Fury’s preparations for his major rematch with Derek Chisora, scheduled on November 14 at the ExCel in London for the European, WBO International, and vacant British heavyweight titles, were disrupted by a chest infection/virus.
His team considered pulling him from the bout. Fury, however, insisted on fighting and went on to stop Chisora in the tenth round. The victory earned him a shot at Wladimir Klitschko’s unified heavyweight titles a year later.
Whittaker appears to have found himself in a similar situation.
Ben Whittaker escaped trouble: The hard part comes next
But surviving the illness is only part of the story. Tonight’s win has put him in line for a face-off against the formidable Dmitry Bivol. A unified champion at 175 pounds, Bivol is coming off elbow surgery, which took place after his comeback fight against Michael Eifert on May 30, 2026.
Bivol is now set for a title defense against former world champion Callum Smith. The fight is tentatively scheduled for December this year in Russia.
The question now is whether Whittaker is ready for a challenge of that scale.
The twelve rounds with Wallace did little to inspire confidence. Whittaker controlled the opening rounds with his movement and sharp-boxing. But Wallace surged late, rocking him in the 10th and repeatedly hurting Whittaker in the final round.
Adding another layer to the situation, Whittaker also stumbled to the canvas several times, though none were ruled knockdowns.
Speaking about his performance, Whittaker said later, “It was too easy, and I took my eye off the ball a little bit. He caught me with a good shot, but that’s boxing. When it got a bit too easy, I was playing too much and doing silly antics.”
That approach is unlikely to work against a technician like Bivol.
Andy Lee’s caution as the fight entered championship rounds echoed the concerns of Whittaker’s skeptics. “Stay focused. Just because you’re comfortable, don’t get lazy,” Lee is reported to have told Whittaker.
The call for a rematch with Wallace from both Lee and Whittaker also suggests that the team wants to address the shortcomings from this performance before the high-profile fight against Bivol, which does not appear likely to take place until next year.
In that context, a second fight with Wallace, as Whittaker’s promoter Eddie Hearn highlighted, could provide valuable preparation.