George Groves sums up Ben Whittaker’s performance after ‘holding on for dear life’ in Wallace win

Former world champion George Groves offered a critical assessment of Ben Whittaker after the light-heavyweight was left holding on for dear life in the final round of his unanimous decision win over Conor Wallace. Although Whittaker controlled the early rounds, Wallace mounted a late comeback in the twelfth round that saw Whittaker frequently clinching and falling to the canvas.

Groves questioned Whittaker's conditioning, stamina, and punch resistance at the elite level, expressing surprise that the referee did not score a knockdown in the final round. Following the bout, which earned Whittaker the IBF's number one light-heavyweight ranking, promoter Eddie Hearn refused to rule out an immediate rematch.