Conor Benn soaked in the 10-year anniversary of his boxing career Thursday.
Saturday night in Tottenham, England, he will make his third consecutive appearance at the packed soccer stadium, debuting for Zuffa Boxing with a $15 million one-bout deal, and victory on Netflix should make him the mandatory opponent for new WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia.
“Today, I recapped on the journey … what a journey it’s been to now,” Benn told BoxingScene exclusively as he drove to Thursday’s news conference. “Headline [Tottenham] stadium twice, and fight [there] for the third time in a year. Three stadium shows in the balance is a blessing. It’s also a blessing to be boxing for Zuffa Boxing, which is a big milestone in my career, and I’m very excited about fighting on this show.”
The 29-year-old son of incoming International Boxing Hall of Fame member Nigel Benn, Conor Benn, 24-1 (14 KOs), is set to collect the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Fight of the Year” prize in June for his April first bout with Chris Eubank Jnr, a narrow loss that he avenged convincingly in November – the final bout on his agreement with former promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
That departure to Nick Khan and Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing has stirred the sport’s soap opera of the year, as the sides have bantered about the future of the sport, finances and loyalty.
“Fortune favors the bold,” Benn said of the switch. “It was a tough decision. Ultimately, I believe Zuffa is the future and I believe how this opportunity was presented to me – to land another stadium show with 6-7 weeks’ notice – and the way they have accommodated and taken care of me and the team, it was phenomenal.
“So there are no regrets. I’m excited to start the change. It’s a new season, a new chapter in Conor Benn’s life.”
It opens with the task of defeating former 140lbs belt holder Regis Prograis, 30-3 (24 KOs). The 37-year-old Prograis possesses outcome-altering power but has appeared eroded in losses to three-division champion Devin Haney and welterweight contender Jack Catterall.
Given the showcase under the main event of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s return, Benn fully comprehends the magnitude of the moment and the importance of routing Prograis.
“They’re all dangerous with those small gloves. Ultimately, he’s a former world champion who I respect, but it’s my time now,” Benn said. “It’s him who pays the price.
“Of course, I’ll be looking for [the knockout] for sure, without a shadow of a doubt. If I see the slightest opportunity, I’ll take it.
“I train hard to perform at the best of my abilities, anyway. I don’t put the pressure on myself that I have to look good this fight, or I have to look good that fight.”
In reviewing his decade-long career and counting up the 25 fights behind him, Benn calculated the stature he has constructed as his 30th birthday arrives in late September.
The most vivid illustration was viewed in the Eubank series.
“You know what: In life, you win some, you lose some,” Benn said of the Fight of the Year. “The only time you lose is when you let it beat you down. I chose to use the first one as a lesson, go back and lick my wounds. And I’ve come back a better fighter for it. Sometimes, you have losses in your career. That’s perfectly fine. It’s how you come back that matters.”
How did he rally?
“I had to take my emotions out of the game, go back to the drawing board and work from the basic fundamentals of boxing,” Benn said. “You can’t go wrong with the basic fundamentals.
“Even with Regis, he’ll present different challenges. He’s a southpaw, experienced. I’m going to learn a lot from being in there with him – for as long as he lasts. You never stop learning in this game. I just want to reach my full potential and be the best Conor Benn I can be.”
Navigating the distractions of the outside-the-ring drama has tested Benn’s mental strength again, but he’s driven to emerge in ideal position to confront Garcia, fellow titlists Haney or Rolly Romero, or perhaps even renew talks with Manny Pacquiao should the Floyd Mayweather Jnr bout on Netflix implode.
“Listen, I want to be active. We’ll see how this fight plays out. If it’s an early night, I want to be ready to go just the other side of summer for the WBC world title,” Benn said. “I’m mandatory No. 1 and I’d like the WBC to order that so I can get that. That’s the belt I want. Ryan Garcia’s the holder of it at the moment.”
Saudi Arabia boxing financier Turki Alalshikh has mentioned backing a Garcia fight this year, and there’s speculation Fury will meet countryman and ex-champion Anthony Joshua on Netflix should Fury win as a massive favorite Saturday.
Could Fury-Joshua and Garcia-Benn end up on the same card?
“Anything’s possible in the sport of boxing,” Benn cracked.
First, he needs to display his worth in the one-fight deal that moves him right back to free agency.
“Listen, I’ve done this 25 times,” Benn said. “I’ve had great performances, fights that have been hard. I’m a fighter. I give people value for money.
“That’s what I do. I don’t put enough pressure on myself to do what I’ve already done 25 times. It’s just about getting in there and winning, and I’ll be looking for the knockout, no doubt.
“I’m coming in for the knockout.”
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
