Welterweight prospect and rising contender Conor Benn has his next opponent set, as he’ll face former 140 lb titleholder Chris Algieri in a December 11 DAZN main event from Liverpool.
The 25-year-old Benn (19-0, 12 KO) has been impressive stepping up his competition a bit in his last three fights, routing Sebastian Formella by decision, stopping Samuel Vargas in one round, and winning a clear decision over Adrian Granados in his last fight on Sept. 4.
Algieri (25-3, 9 KO) may not be a huge general quality step up from those guys, but he presents a different stylistic matchup, too, and that’s as important as anything right now for where Benn is in his development.
Algieri, 37, is best-known for his 2014 fights with Ruslan Provodnikov and Manny Pacquiao. He upset Provodnikov to win the WBO junior welterweight title in a terrific fight, then five months later went to Macau and was completely dominated by Pacquiao in a welterweight title fight, getting dropped six times but going the distance.
After those fights, he had losses to Amir Khan and Errol Spence Jr in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and been something of a part-time fighter since then. He’s fought four times, winning all of those bouts, since 2018, including an Aug. 3 win over Mikkel LesPierre where Algieri still looked in terrific shape and had a very good motor for a full 10 rounds.
“To headline in a city like Liverpool you need to be in the ring against a world class operator,” said Benn. “Chris has done it all, a former world champion and exactly the opponent I need to gain experience from.
“We expect Algieri to bring his best, but I want him deep in the trenches with me, I want to use this opportunity to display my skills and ability against a quality fighter to prepare me and take another step closer to a world title. A former world champ versus a very, very hungry contender, I can’t wait.”
“This has a big fight feel to it and I’m thrilled to be back on this type of stage,” said Algieri. “The UK has brilliant fans and I’m looking forward to performing in front of those legendary crowds.
“It will be a masterclass with me utilizing my deep bag of skills and experience. Benn is hungry and tough but this is a huge step up in class for him. I’m coming to show that it’s not his time yet. I still got the goods and the world will see it once again come fight night.”