By Charles Brun: Promoter Frank Warren says he’s willing to let his fighter David Avanesyan fight on DAZN against Conor Benn.
Warren states that he’ll even pay the purse of the hard-hitting, highly ranked welterweight contender Avanesyan (28-3-1, 16 KOs) himself to make the Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) fight happen.
Thus far, Warren says he’s been “Ignored” with his attempts to get the Benn vs. Avanesyan fight on, but he’d still like to make it happen. Warren says he fancies Avaneysan to defeat the unbeaten Benn.
Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has been quite clear that he has ZERO interest in putting a fight together against Avanesyan.
Warren is ready to make Benn vs. Avanesyan
Although Hearn says he believes that Benn would win the fight, he lacks the name recognition to make it a worthwhile match.
Instead of matching Benn against the highly ranked Avanesyan, Hearn prefers to put together fights between Conor and past their prime former world champions Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero, or the recently retired knocked out ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter.
Broner and the 38-year-old Guerrero aren’t ranked in the top 15 at this time at welterweight, so it’s unclear what the upside is for Benn in fighting either of them.
Of course, Benn’s recent opponents, Chris Algieri and Samuel Vargas, weren’t ranked in the top tier as well, and that didn’t stop Hearn from matching Conor against them.
“There isn’t. Everything we say gets totally ignored, but I got a better idea. I said the same thing a few years ago with Ryan Burnett in Ireland. Let Matchroom and DAZN put the fight on between the two of them,” said Frank Warren to iFL TV on a match between Conor Benn and David Avanesyan.
“That’s how confident I am that my man [Avanesyan] wins, and I’ll pay David. You don’t have to pay him. I’ll pay him. A free opponent. It’s good business. They do good business on DAZN and a good fight for everybody.
Warren will pay Avanesyan
“Conor had a good win last time out [against Chris Algieri], and all they’ve got to do is pay their man [Benn],” said Warren. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’ll may my man if I didn’t fancy it.
“I think he’d give him a real, real problem, and I think he probably will,” said Warren when asked if he believes Avanesyan knocks out Benn. “I’ve been wrong before, but that’s my judgment,” said Warren.
It’s safe to say that Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn won’t be putting together a fight between his “money man’ Conor Benn and Avanesyan anytime soon, if ever.
The thing is if Benn isn’t going to test himself against quality fighters like Benn, how does he have any hopes of beating welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr, Terence Crawford, or Yordenis Ugas?
When the time comes for Benn to eventually challenge for a world title against one of those three champions, he’s going to be unprepared for the fights due to the godawful opposition Hearn has consistently been feeding the young 25-year-old Conor.
Avanesyan willing to fight ANYBODY
“He doesn’t fancy the fight with him now,” said Warren. “We’re also speaking with the governing body on that, and hopefully, we’ll get some resolution on that in the New Year, but he’s [Avanesyan] ready to fight anybody.
“He’s a bit of a performer, and he’s a very exciting fighter. So he has no fear of getting in with anybody, world champions, and you know whoever he gets in with, it’s going to be a good fight.
“I’d love to see him get in with [Vergil] Ortiz; that would be an excellent fight,” Warren said of wanting to see Avanesyan and Vergil Ortiz Jr. square off.