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Eddie Hearn, promoter for unbeaten welterweight contender Conor Benn, is still hoping to match his man against former four division world champion Adrien Broner.
On Saturday night in Liverpool, Benn will collide with former world champion Chris Algieri, who is easily the most experienced opponent in the young Benn’s career.
Hearn’s company is grooming Benn as a future superstar – and during the year he’s picked up two of his biggest career wins against seasoned opponents like Samuel Vargas and Adrian Granados.
The veteran promoter is expecting Algieri to provide Benn with a stiff test.
Algieri beat Ruslan Provodnikov to win the light welterweight championship and went on to have a life and death fight with Amir Khan and a points decision loss to Manny Pacquiao. He has faced competition far more experienced and elite than Conor. The American made this trip with his team not for the financial gain, but for the opportunity to box in the UK and the true belief that the will be too savvy for the young, aggressive Londoner as he continues his march to the welterweight world title,” Hearn told BBC.
“It really is a classic match up of youth versus experience. It’s the ultimate crossroads fight. Conor just needs to be patient in there, not get overwhelmed by the occasion and deliver for himself and for British fight fans.”
And if Benn wins big, then the next target will be Broner.
Benn would love to face the winner of February’s fight between former champions Amir Khan and Kell Brook – but Hearn does not believe either boxer will be running to face the young up-and-comer.
Broner’s last fight took place back in February, when he won a decision over Jovanie Santiago. It was Broner’s first fight in over two years.
“If Conor’s successful on Saturday, there’s talk of him potentially fighting the winner of Khan versus Kell Brook. To be honest I tried so hard to make the Benn v Khan fight, but I don’t think either of those guys will continue in the sport after their fight next year. I look instead at a potential fight with Adrien Broner. It would be amazing to bring ‘The Problem’ to the UK in what would be a huge arena fight. We’ve seen recently though the danger of overlooking opponents and Conor must be completely focused on the test of Algieri,” Hearn said.