CONOR BENN BRILLIANTLY PULVERIZES VAN HEERDEN IN 2 IN MANCHESTER. IS HE THE FUTURE OF THE WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION? BAUMGARDNER, HATTON DECISION FOES
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 17 Apr 2022
In sensational action, unbeaten Briton rising-star Conor "The Destroyer" Benn (21-0, 14 KO's), son of exciting former world champ Nigel Benn, needed just 2 rounds to ravage, floor and stop South African former titlist Chris Van Heerden (28-3-1, 12 KO's) to retain his WBA Continental Welterweight Title Saturday evening in Manchester, England live on FOX and DAZN.
From the sound of the first bell, the fast 'n furious Conor Benn stalked his taller, southpaw opponent, landing vicious bombs, rocking Van Heerden into retreating mode until a destructive, thunderous straight right early in round two caught the South African clean on his jaw, backing him rough against the ropes, visibly hurting him.
Like a storm, Conor Benn did not waste a microsecond in following up, unleashing a Jurassic barrage of lethal blows, including a savage, big right uppercut that further damaged the world-ranked warrior, forcing him to the blue mat, prompting the third man to wave the rumble off. Van Heerden was 100% done.
Referee Steve Gray stops the fight as Conor Benn destroys Chris Van Heerden in Machester Saturday night.
Fantastic delivery from Conor Benn, who reaffirms himself as a major new player in the 147-pound weight class where Crawford, Spence and Ugas are the top dogs.
Will Conor Benn go on to dethrone any of those big names? Is the younger Benn destined, as his old man was, to conquer a championship of the world?
Time will tell, but as of now, Conor "The Destroyer" Benn - handled by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing - looks as a thrilling rising star with a shinning, brilliant future ahead of him.
ALYCIA BAUMBARDNER OUTBOXES MATTHYSSE, RETAINS WBC/IBO-130 WORLD STRAP
In a rather boring affair, American Alycia "The Bomb" Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KO's) easily outclassed 41-year-old veteran former titlist Edith Soledad Matthysse (17-12-1, 1 KO) of Argentina to retain her WBC and IBO Super Featherweight World Titles.
Identical scores of 100-90 (x3) say it all.
There were no cuts nor knockdowns during the slow-paced contest fully dominated by the American boxer/model from "The Motor City" Detroit, Michigan.
However, the match failed to really excite the audience.
That's probably why many fans would now love to see Alycia in a far more exciting 130 lbs unification battle against unbeaten champ Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KO's).
Will that natural fight ever happen?
Mikaela Mayer is handled by Top Rank while Alycia Baumgardner is promoted by Matchroom Boxing.
SON OF RICKY HATTON DECISIONS PATSY OPPONENT
Earlier on in the show, Briton rookie lightweight Campbell "Hurricane" Hatton - son of former titlist Ricky Hatton - scored a clear win by points over unheralded, very limited Ezequiel Gregores (3-10, 0 KO's) of Argentina.
Campbell (7-0, 2 KO's), who jumped into pro boxing without an amateur career, looked rather raw and disorganized, although aggressive and willing to please the crowd with an entertaining rumble.
Campbell Hatton throws a left at Ezequiel Gregores.
The 6-rounder was a supporting bout for the Benn vs Van Heerden main event who in awesome way by Benn.
The 21-year-old Campbell "Hurricane" Hatton is trained by his uncle former boxer Matthew Hatton, and promoted by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing.
The author, senior boxing writer Carlos Costa can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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