This Saturday night in Liverpool and LIVE on DAZN, unbeaten welterweight contender Conor Benn will face the most experienced opponent of his career when he boxes the been-in-with-everyone Chris Algieri, a former WBO super-lightweight champion. Benn has said he “should win with ease,” yet Algieri has warned how “this old dog has tricks.” Benn is an exciting fighter who always wants to give the paying fans a good, entertaining fight, and of course, a KO win over Algieri would be quite a statement.
Algieri, now 37 years of age and currently 25-3(9) has been stopped just once, by Errol Spence back in April of 2016. Big punchers like Manny Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov (who Algieri defeated) were not able to get rid of Algieri (although Pac Man did score five knockdowns over Algieri in their November 2014 fight). In terms of British fighters, Algieri lost a decision to Amir Khan in 2015, while he stopped Tommy Coyle in 2019.
Benn, 19-0(12) and still only 25, was left frustrated in his last fight, when Adrian Granados “came to survive” and did so in September. In his fight prior to that, Benn took out Samuel Vargas inside a round and generated big headlines in doing so. So, against the ultra-experienced Algieri, will Benn look electrifying again or will he be left frustrated again? How much has Algieri got left and does the veteran really believe he can win the fight?
If he isn’t a badly faded fighter, Algieri may well teach Benn some lessons; he might even score the upset decision win. It’s an interesting fight and the fact that Benn was willing to take it shows he is going about things the right way as he learns his craft fully. Algieri never gets out of shape and he is talking a good fight. Benn is a big favourite to win and he may well do so, but it’s not that hard to picture the smart Algieri picking up points, outboxing Benn and taking advantage of his over-eagerness.
Algieri is (or was) a good boxer and he was always tough and full of heart and desire. Again, a lot will depend on how much Algieri has left. But this fight could prove to be a tricky one for Benn. Benn says he needs to beat guys like Algieri to prove he is world-class. Will Benn pass the test on Saturday? Scheduled for ten rounds, this fight may go all the way.
Algieri is a good guy, but why does he get this fight? Who has he beat? This fight will be over in 2 or 3 rounds. I’ll find some laundry to do rather than watch this fight.