Welterweight contender Conor Benn improved his professional record to 21-0 this afternoon in Manchester. After establishing his presence in the first round, Benn unloaded a power combination in the second round that sent Chris van Heerden to the canvas for good. The rising star celebrated the victory by throwing his mouthpiece in to the crowd, raising his arms to the sky and inviting his friend, Amir Khan, into the ring.
Benn joins a trio of 147-pound contenders that are looking to take over the division. Philadelphia’s own Jaron Ennis and Texas native Virgil Ortiz are also searching for a title shot. At the moment, each of the four belts in the division are tied up in an unofficial tournament. Yordenis Ugas and Errol Spence Jr. will put three of the division’s titles on the line this evening at AT&T Stadium. After tonight’s championship bout, it appears that the winner will share the ring with Terence Crawford. Once those two fights take place, Ortiz, Ennis or Benn may get a shot at the title.
While Benn works toward a title shot, Eddie Hearn hopes to keep the contender happy by matching him up with another top welterweight. Kell Brook, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia have been identified as potential opponents for the young fighter this summer. However, nothing has been finalized as of yet.
????????? ??@ConorNigel takes out Van Heerden in the second!
21 straight wins ???#BennVanHeerden pic.twitter.com/eOUZkF7X4A
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 16, 2022
