Eddie Hearn-promoted fighter Conor Benn is now ranked #2 WBA and #2 WBC at welterweight and is poised to fight for a world title against one of the champions.
Hearn has got to be happy to see Benn rated so highly by those two sanctioning bodies without him having to face one of the talented contenders to be given that spot. Benn is 28, and he’s still never beaten a true top-15 contender during his career. His best wins were against shop-worn older fighters Chris Algieri and Chris Van Heerden.
It almost seems unfair that Benn has vaulted to the top of the 147-lb rankings with the WBA and WBC after beating several lower-level fighters.
Conor Benn’s recent wins
– Peter Dobson
– Rodolfo Orozco
– Chris Van Heerden
It’s unfair to the fans if Benn is thrown in with one of the champions at 147 and is exposed as a hype job, which is how many of them view him.
Beating those fighters doesn’t prepare Conor Benn to compete against any of the champions at welterweight because those are not world-class guys. Unless Hearn is focusing on just a big cash-out fight for Benn, he needs to build him properly by matching him against fighters like Alexis Rocha, Shakhram Giyasov, Derriek Cuevas, and Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
Hearn hasn’t said his grand plan for Benn to fight at welterweight, but it’s reasonable to assume that he will keep him far from IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. That wouldn’t be a competitive fight. Benn would be completely overmatched. Eddie would like to make a fight between Benn and middleweight Chris Eubank Jr, as that would be a big-money clash in the UK.
When Hearn does choose to match Benn against one of the champions at 147, the obvious choice will be WBC belt-holder Mario Barrios. U.S. fans would be more interested in seeing a fight between Benn and Barrios than they would be if Conor challenged WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis.
The UK fans are easy to please, as they wouldn’t care which of the two champions Conor Benn challenged. They just want to see Benn fighting for a world title, even if he hasn’t beaten anyone to deserve the opportunity.
Last Updated on 10/05/2024
Read the full article here
