By Allan Fox: Conor Benn believes he’ll look better in beating Samuel Vargas on Saturday night than Errol Spence Jr, Danny Garcia, Amir, and Vergil Ortiz Jr did in the past.
Benn (17-0, 11 KOs) is taking on the best opponent of his career in 31-year-old Vargas (31-6-2, 14 KOs) in a fight that he’d been eager to make for a long time.
Conor is approaching the Vargas fight, seemingly with a big chip on his shoulder because he hasn’t received the same attention and hype as Vergil, Spence, Danny Garcia, and Khan.
It’s kind of hard for Benn to be hyped with him getting knocked down by 8-8 journeyman Cedrick Peynaud, and being matched against guys that are virtually no threat to him.
Benn’s promoters are sending a message to the boxing world every time they schedule a fight for him by failing to put him in against talented opposition.
Sadly, even if Benn does beat Vargas faster than those guys did, he’s not going to be put in the same class as them.
It’s going to take more than beating Vargas faster than Spence, Garcia, and Vergil Ortiz did for Benn to be put in the same class as those fighters.
We’re talking levels here, and Vargas is not on the same perch as Spence, Ortiz Jr, Garcia, or even a past his prime Khan.
“It’s a step up for me. If I find the openings, I’ll take it; that goes without fail,” said Benn to the AK & Barak Show on DAZN.
“I plan on going in there and showing that not only can I beat opponents at this level, but look good, and I do believe I have the power to stop him,” said Benn.
“I believe I can look as good – if not better – than the top dogs in this division.”
It would be better for Benn to fight smart and just look to get a win under his belt against Vargas rather than worrying about beating him better than his past six opponents.
Benn is a fine prospect, but he needs to develop his defense because he will need that part of his game to have a chance against the top welterweights.
Given the slow pace Matchroom is moving Benn, he likely won’t get a title shot against IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) before moving up in weight the 154-lb division in a year or so.
But Benn will still need defensive ability to handle the likes of the younger, more advanced welterweights like Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. Those guys are ahead of Benn in development, and they punch harder.
Spence knocked Vargas out in the fourth round in 2015 in a total massacre from start to finish, and it might be impossible for Benn to come anywhere close to what he did to the Colombian fighter.
If Benn sets out to do a better job than Spence did, he might get knocked out by Vargas. Conor doesn’t possess Spence, Vergil Ortiz, or Danny Garcia’s power.
Those guys didn’t have a goal in mind to stop Vargas faster than other fighters had stopped him in the past.
They just wanted to beat him and weren’t looking to stop him in lightning fashion as Benn will be attempting to do on Saturday.
