Conor Benn battles Samuel Vargas as he looks to maintain momentum in his incredible journey as a professional so far.
The Destroyer was magnificent in his last bout, outclassing Sebastian Formella, but now he takes on Vargas, who carries experience from fights against the division’s very best, including: Errol Spence Jr, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and another up-and-coming star in Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Victory is crucial for Benn, but so too is the manner of the win, if he can win emphatically, then comparisons with the division’s very best will begin as he sits at the top of the domestic scene and perhaps tempted to push on with Josh Kelly likely to regroup following defeat to David Avanesyan.
There has been talk of Benn hunting down Khan or Kell Brook later this year too, in a fight that would put the country’s very best at 147 pounds over the last 10 years against one of its future stars. But Benn is aware he must take care of business here first, with Vargas likely to show his durability and test Benn’s patience and power: “He’s an experienced fighter. He’s got tonnes of heart. He’s got tonnes of grit and sheer determination that so many fighters lack. He brings the heat! This ain’t going to be a one-two lights out. It isn’t going to be one of them. This is going to be a hard fight.”
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Read more:
- Benn vs Vargas live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV
- Conor Benn eyes Amir Khan fight after clash with Samuel Vargas
- ‘I just love to fight’: Conor Benn still driven to silence critics after shunning easy life
- Conor Benn exclusive interview: ‘Britain is in for one hell of a treat’
Nick Campbell TKO2 Petr Frohlich
Scottish heavyweight Nick Campbell has won tonight, getting Petr Frohlich out of there in two rounds.
A solid debut from the ‘The Glasgow Warrior’, who will need to be moved slowly at 31 years of age and no prior amateur grounding.
It’s not long now!
Vargas on Benn
“I have taken this fight very seriously. I had a great training camp and I worked my ass off. I’m really focused, and I can’t wait to get in there. This is professional boxing. Everyone is a threat. Everyone. Especially at this level.
“He is a strong young fighter. He’s going to come on strong. He looks physically fit all of the time. He seems very wild and makes mistakes that he has to pay for. We’ll meet in the centre of the ring and we’ll find out what he’s about. I’m expecting him to come to war and that’s what I’m prepared for.
“I don’t care what he thinks. They have hopes for him over here, I guess. I don’t see it personally. If he’s underestimating me, then the better it is for me. I expect a lot of fans to tune in and watch the fight. It’s going to be a hell of a show. I’m going to bring the heat. He’s going to do whatever he’s able to do.
“Last time I was here in the UK I came close to closing the show but then I didn’t have enough time left in the round. This time I’m going to bring the same energy and finish the job. I’m going to give Conor a right hand from hell. It would mean a lot to me to win this.
“That’s part of the plan, taking him into the trenches. We’ve got to break him down and take his soul. We’re going to break him down little by little. He doesn’t have the experience to handle that. He’s got to have the same energy that he has in the first round in the ninth and tenth. We’ll see about that.”
Benn on Vargas
“He’s an experienced fighter. He’s got tonnes of heart. He’s got tonnes of grit and sheer determination that so many fighters lack. He brings the heat! This ain’t going to be a one-two lights out. It isn’t going to be one of them. This is going to be a hard fight.
“This is going to be me getting stuck straight in and us two going at it in there. It’s going to be one hell of a fight and that’s what I’m preparing for. He gave Amir Khan hell. Amir Khan got saved by the bell and by the grace of God three or four times in that fight. He had him on the deck. I know Khan’s chin isn’t that credible but he’s a well-respected fighter. He’s achieved everything that I want to achieve in the sport.
“This is going to be a harder fight than people think in my opinion. I made the mistake once of overlooking an opponent and I hit the deck twice. I can go back to that fight because it was a career-defining moment for me. I had to ask myself how badly I wanted it. It taught me to never overlook an opponent. I thought, ‘what’s he going to do to me?’. Boom, straight one-two.
“That was a massive reality check for me. Since then I don’t overlook opponents. I’m not overlooking Vargas, but what doors open after him? I want a big domestic fight still. Someone that I can take that experience off. The Amir Khans, the Kell Brooks. The Josh Kelly fight is still there if he’s still fighting. The Amir Khan fight would be one hell of a fight. That would be a great British clash. Amir Khan was a fighter I looked up to and so was Kell Brook. Why not put me in with one of them after Vargas?
“This is definitely going to be an entertaining fight for the public. This is going to be one that you don’t want to miss. This is going to be a steppingstone in my career. It’s going to be a massive fight. It’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a hard fight. I’m going to have to show grit, determination, hunger, skill and power – the full shebang!”
Benn vs Vargas tale of the tape
Benn
Nationality: British
Height: 5’8
Reach: N/A
Record: 17-0 (11 knockouts)
Vargas
Nationality: Canadian-Colombian
Height: 5’9
Reach: 72 inches
Record: 31-6-2 (14 knockouts)
Benn vs Vargas odds
Benn: 1/16 – By KO: 8/11. By Points: 6/4.
Vargas: 8/1 – By KO: 12/1. By Points: 18/1.
Draw: 25/1
Benn vs Vargas card
- Conor Benn vs. Samuel Vargas; welterweight
- Shannon Courtenay v Ebanie Bridges; bantamweight
- Savannah Marshall v Femke Hermans; middlweight
- Kash Farooq v Alexander Espinoza; bantamweight
- John Hedges v Milan Dvorak; super middleweight
- Nick Campbell vs Peter Frohlich; heavyweight
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