Conor Benn vs. Chris van Heerden | DAZN - 16 April 2022

[liamlion]

I find Eddie Hearn’s excessive promotion of Conor Benn as the potential second coming of Jesus Christ somewhat depressing.

How far has Eddie fallen, that he’s trying to cultivate Conor Benn as his new golden goose? Sad sad times. Eddie surely now realising just how powerful the Sky hype machine actually is.

I was speaking to someone close to Chris Billam-Smith and apparently he and one or two others are not so impressed with the lack of push from, and reach of DAZN.

Well he didn't say that on Tris Dixons Life Stories.

Do you think it’s possible that people saying something different in public to what they feel and say in private behind closed doors?

Here’s one source of the problem; when is Eddie gonna put on this show in Bournemouth that he’s been promising for past 3 years? Heard any concrete details?....

[maverick23]

I find Eddie Hearn’s excessive promotion of Conor Benn as the potential second coming of Jesus Christ somewhat depressing.

How far has Eddie fallen, that he’s trying to cultivate Conor Benn as his new golden goose? Sad sad times. Eddie surely now realising just how powerful the Sky hype machine actually is.

I was speaking to someone close to Chris Billam-Smith and apparently he and one or two others are not so impressed with the lack of push from, and reach of DAZN.

Well he didn't say that on Tris Dixons Life Stories.

Do you think it’s possible that people saying something different in public to what they feel and say in private behind closed doors?

Here’s one source of the problem; when is Eddie gonna put on this show in Bournemouth that he’s been promising for past 3 years? Heard any concrete details?....

I think it’s a tough one. If he puts on a show on In Bournemouth with CBS headlining then it will be slated and even if it’s a good fight a lot of people won’t be bothered by it.

Would have been perfect as a Next Gen style show and I hope it happens as it’s always good to see the waters tested in a new market.

[brilo33]

guerrero pointless fight old as the hills now, hooker is the real deal a leap to big i think , but hooker all day long

[littlepug]

I find Eddie Hearn’s excessive promotion of Conor Benn as the potential second coming of Jesus Christ somewhat depressing.

How far has Eddie fallen, that he’s trying to cultivate Conor Benn as his new golden goose? Sad sad times. Eddie surely now realising just how powerful the Sky hype machine actually is.

I was speaking to someone close to Chris Billam-Smith and apparently he and one or two others are not so impressed with the lack of push from, and reach of DAZN.

Why wouldn’t he promote him like that ? He looks the part, says all the right things, can fight a bit and he has the name Benn, some guys are just easy to promote and he’s one of em, they had several options in how they moved and developed him and I think they’ve done perfectly in that respect, I think his first loss is looming soon but it won’t stop him being a great tv fighter and having a decent career.

Eddie Hearn’s career is really going down the pan if he’s putting all his efforts into someone who has been steered so carefully around domestic and European level. And when I say steered around, I actually mean avoided.

Hearn once had solid world champions who could sell out arenas around the country like Carl Froch, Kell Brook along with genuine prospects like Carl Frampton. Now he’s super-carefully navigating through the likes of Conor Benn and Campbell Hatton based on the fact that they are trading off their dad’s names... not for me.

Conor Benn is talking about having a world title fight in 2022. Do we even know if he’s the best 147lbs’er in the UK. There’s something wrong about all this. Just my opinion.

By the way, good luck to Conor Benn. He’s earning a living in a tough game and training like a demon and clearly improving. But what’s wrong with British, Commonwealth and European before being ready for a properly earned world title shot? Sad times for the game domestically.

Let’s face it Benn wouldn’t be where he is now if he had gone the traditional route, that route would of left him with a few losses and maybe even ruined him , it’s not always what the fans want but these days if a fighter isn’t up to scratch then he can be developed over time, yes it robs us of potential British title classics but it lets the fighter develop onto a bigger stage than he would of without that safety first approach, Benn will almost certainly develop into a world class fighter through this method because he’s learning and improving, can’t see Campbell having the same success but still wish him well.

[brilo33]

amen to that

[margaret thatcher]

guerrero pointless fight old as the hills now, hooker is the real deal a leap to big i think , but hooker all day long

he will absolutely bash mo up

[liamlion]

Why wouldn’t he promote him like that ? He looks the part, says all the right things, can fight a bit and he has the name Benn, some guys are just easy to promote and he’s one of em, they had several options in how they moved and developed him and I think they’ve done perfectly in that respect, I think his first loss is looming soon but it won’t stop him being a great tv fighter and having a decent career.

Eddie Hearn’s career is really going down the pan if he’s putting all his efforts into someone who has been steered so carefully around domestic and European level. And when I say steered around, I actually mean avoided.

Hearn once had solid world champions who could sell out arenas around the country like Carl Froch, Kell Brook along with genuine prospects like Carl Frampton. Now he’s super-carefully navigating through the likes of Conor Benn and Campbell Hatton based on the fact that they are trading off their dad’s names... not for me.

Conor Benn is talking about having a world title fight in 2022. Do we even know if he’s the best 147lbs’er in the UK. There’s something wrong about all this. Just my opinion.

By the way, good luck to Conor Benn. He’s earning a living in a tough game and training like a demon and clearly improving. But what’s wrong with British, Commonwealth and European before being ready for a properly earned world title shot? Sad times for the game domestically.

Let’s face it Benn wouldn’t be where he is now if he had gone the traditional route, that route would of left him with a few losses and maybe even ruined him , it’s not always what the fans want but these days if a fighter isn’t up to scratch then he can be developed over time, yes it robs us of potential British title classics but it lets the fighter develop onto a bigger stage than he would of without that safety first approach, Benn will almost certainly develop into a world class fighter through this method because he’s learning and improving, can’t see Campbell having the same success but still wish him well.

And there in lies the conflict; fighter interest versus public demand.

Of course a fighter has to be built but being fast tracked towards a world title (and Benn is) without a real meaningful title fight is just wrong, for me as a fan. It’s not a slight on Benn himself, he will take the best advice given to him on matchmaking and he has that right. He’s learning his trade on the job.

I just find it a bit offensive when someone like Eddie is selling Benn as having a world title fight this year and it’s justified, though in reality it can’t really be justified and certainly “profile” doesn’t cut it for me. I felt the same about Anthony Yarde and him getting his shot at Kovalev. Frank did a great job with that, as is Eddie with Benn, but even by your own words you accept fight fans will miss out on some potential mini classics and genuine intriguing fights. For that reason some fight fans are gonna complain and quite rightly to in my opinion. And after all, it’s the fans that help fund the fight game.

[maverick23]

Eddie Hearn’s career is really going down the pan if he’s putting all his efforts into someone who has been steered so carefully around domestic and European level. And when I say steered around, I actually mean avoided.

Hearn once had solid world champions who could sell out arenas around the country like Carl Froch, Kell Brook along with genuine prospects like Carl Frampton. Now he’s super-carefully navigating through the likes of Conor Benn and Campbell Hatton based on the fact that they are trading off their dad’s names... not for me.

Conor Benn is talking about having a world title fight in 2022. Do we even know if he’s the best 147lbs’er in the UK. There’s something wrong about all this. Just my opinion.

By the way, good luck to Conor Benn. He’s earning a living in a tough game and training like a demon and clearly improving. But what’s wrong with British, Commonwealth and European before being ready for a properly earned world title shot? Sad times for the game domestically.

Let’s face it Benn wouldn’t be where he is now if he had gone the traditional route, that route would of left him with a few losses and maybe even ruined him , it’s not always what the fans want but these days if a fighter isn’t up to scratch then he can be developed over time, yes it robs us of potential British title classics but it lets the fighter develop onto a bigger stage than he would of without that safety first approach, Benn will almost certainly develop into a world class fighter through this method because he’s learning and improving, can’t see Campbell having the same success but still wish him well.

And there in lies the conflict; fighter interest versus public demand.

Of course a fighter has to be built but being fast tracked towards a world title (and Benn is) without a real meaningful title fight is just wrong, for me as a fan. It’s not a slight on Benn himself, he will take the best advice given to him on matchmaking and he has that right. He’s learning his trade on the job.

I just find it a bit offensive when someone like Eddie is selling Benn as having a world title fight this year and it’s justified, though in reality it can’t really be justified and certainly “profile” doesn’t cut it for me. I felt the same about Anthony Yarde and him getting his shot at Kovalev. Frank did a great job with that, as is Eddie with Benn, but even by your own words you accept fight fans will miss out on some potential mini classics and genuine intriguing fights. For that reason some fight fans are gonna complain and quite rightly to in my opinion. And after all, it’s the fans that help fund the fight game.

Yarde didn’t fight anyone decent to adequately prepare him for Kovalev. It’s a pity as it was a winnable fight against an ageing champ.

I’d say Algeiri, Granados and Formella are comparatively better than anyone Yarde fought pre Kovalev but they still don’t get Benn ready for a world title as all of the champs at Welter are top notch. He needs another couple of fights before thinking about fighting Crawford and co. Hooker is good fight next.

[Dioufy]

I don’t forget fighters who fight 60/40 or 50/50 fights early in their careers that in hindsight look like mismatches.
Conor Benn hasn’t had one. He’s been massive favourite in every fight.
He’s had it easy and when he comes up against a live fighter, who doesn’t throw packs of crisps for a living and he will not be prepared.
He should fight Avanysen without question.
Hooker and Broner are cop-outs and will be forgotten as soon as Benn dispatches them by people who understand boxing.
Ffs McKinson’s next fight dwarfs all of Benn’s opponents and win or, very likely, lose he will have my respect over Benn until Benn demands bigger fights than he’s getting.

[gregregegg]

I don’t forget fighters who fight 60/40 or 50/50 fights early in their careers that in hindsight look like mismatches.
Conor Benn hasn’t had one. He’s been massive favourite in every fight.
He’s had it easy and when he comes up against a live fighter, who doesn’t throw packs of crisps for a living and he will not be prepared.
He should fight Avanysen without question.
Hooker and Broner are cop-outs and will be forgotten as soon as Benn dispatches them by people who understand boxing.
Ffs McKinson’s next fight dwarfs all of Benn’s opponents and win or, very likely, lose he will have my respect over Benn until Benn demands bigger fights than he’s getting.

Betting lines for formela opened dead even.

[margaret thatcher]

formellas still been his best matched fight. although a bit light handed like almost every benn opponent, it was a non old guy with some skills, who didnt have a clearly downward trajectory and wasnt moving up from a lower weight. was a fight i was positive about. maybe that's why benny didnt do a 1 round slamin' sammy vargas job or an algieri ktfo on him.

mo hooker, though yes once a 140 champ and on paper 'oh not bad at all', has a lot of the signs of a guy do for another comprehensive loss: hasnt fought in a year, hasnt won since 2019 (its 2022 now!), career 140 fighter, took a beating his last fight, etc. this makes his name vs risk balance pretty good. unsurprisingly, the dudes who thought flop job molina was really good for babic are fans of this one, its the same sort of thing

and tbf, they are doing a good steady job on bringing conn up, its obvious he's substantially improved. i just think he's better than they think and good enough to be moved a bit faster, without so many qualifiers in his opponents. i said years ago along with HOS that he'd be a world champ, still believe it. if he bashes up mo, how about jamal james or lipinets next? butaev for the wba regular? or do we need 2-3 years against the likes of van heerden, figueroaa jr, old ghost guerrero etc first.....

[Dioufy]

I don’t forget fighters who fight 60/40 or 50/50 fights early in their careers that in hindsight look like mismatches.
Conor Benn hasn’t had one. He’s been massive favourite in every fight.
He’s had it easy and when he comes up against a live fighter, who doesn’t throw packs of crisps for a living and he will not be prepared.
He should fight Avanysen without question.
Hooker and Broner are cop-outs and will be forgotten as soon as Benn dispatches them by people who understand boxing.
Ffs McKinson’s next fight dwarfs all of Benn’s opponents and win or, very likely, lose he will have my respect over Benn until Benn demands bigger fights than he’s getting.

Betting lines for formela opened dead even.

Then I stand corrected on that… he’s 25 now and not really been tested so he’s ready for another even fight.

[littlepug]

Eddie Hearn’s career is really going down the pan if he’s putting all his efforts into someone who has been steered so carefully around domestic and European level. And when I say steered around, I actually mean avoided.

Hearn once had solid world champions who could sell out arenas around the country like Carl Froch, Kell Brook along with genuine prospects like Carl Frampton. Now he’s super-carefully navigating through the likes of Conor Benn and Campbell Hatton based on the fact that they are trading off their dad’s names... not for me.

Conor Benn is talking about having a world title fight in 2022. Do we even know if he’s the best 147lbs’er in the UK. There’s something wrong about all this. Just my opinion.

By the way, good luck to Conor Benn. He’s earning a living in a tough game and training like a demon and clearly improving. But what’s wrong with British, Commonwealth and European before being ready for a properly earned world title shot? Sad times for the game domestically.

Let’s face it Benn wouldn’t be where he is now if he had gone the traditional route, that route would of left him with a few losses and maybe even ruined him , it’s not always what the fans want but these days if a fighter isn’t up to scratch then he can be developed over time, yes it robs us of potential British title classics but it lets the fighter develop onto a bigger stage than he would of without that safety first approach, Benn will almost certainly develop into a world class fighter through this method because he’s learning and improving, can’t see Campbell having the same success but still wish him well.

And there in lies the conflict; fighter interest versus public demand.

Of course a fighter has to be built but being fast tracked towards a world title (and Benn is) without a real meaningful title fight is just wrong, for me as a fan. It’s not a slight on Benn himself, he will take the best advice given to him on matchmaking and he has that right. He’s learning his trade on the job.

I just find it a bit offensive when someone like Eddie is selling Benn as having a world title fight this year and it’s justified, though in reality it can’t really be justified and certainly “profile” doesn’t cut it for me. I felt the same about Anthony Yarde and him getting his shot at Kovalev. Frank did a great job with that, as is Eddie with Benn, but even by your own words you accept fight fans will miss out on some potential mini classics and genuine intriguing fights. For that reason some fight fans are gonna complain and quite rightly to in my opinion. And after all, it’s the fans that help fund the fight game.

I completely understand where your coming from and to be honest I would love for fighter’s to take the traditional route, establish dominance in Britain, then Europe and then fight international contenders to earn a world title shot but the sport rarely works that way now and we have to accept that, Benn is flawed and would’ve been chewed up taking that route, this way he get a chance at something bigger, he’s too valuable a commodity to be let loose domestically but it doesn’t mean he won’t one day be capable of giving us some good nights on the world stage.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Conor Benn removed from WBC rankings

The WBC remove three Brits from their world rankings

WBC Clean Boxing Program administered by VADA, has reported to the WBC ratings committee that after multiple attempts to enroll a variety of fighters and after the grace period has lapsed for registration, consequently the following fighters have been taken out of The WBC rankings.

They will have the opportunity to enroll in the program and be considered by the ratings committee.

#7 Cruiserweight - Chris Billam-Smith (GB

# 5 Welterweight - Conor Benn (GB)

# 10 Super Lightweight - Mario Barrios (US)

# 4 Featherweight - Mauricio Lara (Mexico)

# 9 Bantamweight - Lee McGregor (GB)

[maverick23]

Conor Benn removed from WBC rankings

The WBC remove three Brits from their world rankings

WBC Clean Boxing Program administered by VADA, has reported to the WBC ratings committee that after multiple attempts to enroll a variety of fighters and after the grace period has lapsed for registration, consequently the following fighters have been taken out of The WBC rankings.

They will have the opportunity to enroll in the program and be considered by the ratings committee.

#7 Cruiserweight - Chris Billam-Smith (GB

# 5 Welterweight - Conor Benn (GB)

# 10 Super Lightweight - Mario Barrios (US)

# 4 Featherweight - Mauricio Lara (Mexico)

# 9 Bantamweight - Lee McGregor (GB)

Hmmm. Doesn’t look good when 3 out of the 5 are Brits. Surprised Matchroom haven’t done something about it as it looks bad on them with 4/5 being their fighters.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn is targeting Hooker.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn said Benn, McGregor and Billam-Smith forgot to fill out their WBC forms. They will now fill them in and expected to be back in the rankings.

Some call it bullshit.

Some say let’s see how they turn up at the next fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hooker Offered Date With Benn In April, Hearn Reveals

“I love the Maurice Hooker fight. I’ve made an offer to Maurice Hooker [to fight in April],” Hearn told IFL.

“[Hooker] was talking about going back down to 140, which would be mental. Yeah, he could never make 140 and would have to move up.

“Talks are ongoing with him. I don’t think it’ll be Robert Guerrero … I think the Maurice Hooker fight is the better fight; it’s the tougher fight than the Guerrero fight. Like I said, April is the target date for Conor Benn, so I’ll be looking to nail that opponent by the end of the month.

“I still love the Adrien Broner fight. He wants a warmup fight, Adrien Broner, but I just don’t know who’s going to give him a warmup fight. So we’ll see. There’s a lot of talks still progressing with him and a couple of other people in the mix, but I would love to make the Maurice Hooker fight.”

“When you’ve got a global superstar like Conor Benn, you don’t f--- it up by a big balls promoter. Conor Benn will fight anyone. ‘Give me Boots Ennis. Give me Vergil Ortiz,' said Hearn. "When the time is right, he will fight them, and he will beat them."

[Ruthless-RKO]

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR???

CONOR BENN???

[maverick23]

Hearn said Benn, McGregor and Billam-Smith forgot to fill out their WBC forms. They will now fill them in and expected to be back in the rankings.

Some call it bullshit.

Some say let’s see how they turn up at the next fights.

I’d be more suspicious if all 3 guys were from the same gym so hopefully it is an admin error. Certainly not a good look for any of them though and creates suspicion.

[gregregegg]

Hearn said Benn, McGregor and Billam-Smith forgot to fill out their WBC forms. They will now fill them in and expected to be back in the rankings.

Some call it bullshit.

Some say let’s see how they turn up at the next fights.

I’d be more suspicious if all 3 guys were from the same gym so hopefully it is an admin error. Certainly not a good look for any of them though and creates suspicion.

Mabey there all just cheating on there misso's and dont want there random test locations published....

[mickey1975]

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR???

CONOR BENN???

That's probably the most stupid thing he's ever said.

[Flump]

I don't think Guerrero should be fighting anymore personally. But as bad as it sounds, I'd like to see Broner get battered, and particularly, like to see him in front of a British crowd, would be good for his emotional development.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't think Guerrero should be fighting anymore personally. But as bad as it sounds, I'd like to see Broner get battered, and particularly, like to see him in front of a British crowd, would be good for his emotional development.

He did retire once already.

[KiwiRider]

Big fan of Guerrero at his peak, thought he was underrated. Guerrero version 2022 - not sure he is a step up from Algeri.

6 years past prime.
I was a fan too, even when Robert was losing, he still gave it everything. Pity his legacy has become what it has. Thurman showed him he had slipped and that was 2015...