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Conor Benn: The marketable powerhouse DAZN and Eddie Hearn need…

Conor Benn Matchroom Boxing

"The Destroyer" is on course to becoming one of the biggest draws in British boxing and he is going to be a major asset to DAZN and Eddie Hearn if he comes through his next fight.

Conor Benn's boxing career was always going to be made more difficult given the achievements of his father, Nigel Benn.

Nigel was a two-weight world champion in the '90s and to this day he is still adored by British boxing fans.

So, when his son Conor decided to pursue a career in boxing, he was bound to be compared to his father.

The likes of Chris Eubank Jr and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr have gone through similar experiences and have had varying levels of success.

But from the early going it was made clear that Conor was not your typical silver spoon child. He was made to work for everything he got in boxing and life in general.

Benn spent much of his time as an amateur in Australia before making his pro debut against Ivailo Boyanov in April 2016.

In just over 18 months, Benn had shown gradual improvements on the undercards of big events such as Anthony Joshua vs Eric Molina and Anthony Crolla vs Ricky Burns. He had also racked up a 10-0 record with eight victories coming via TKO/KO.

The Destroyer's eleventh fight was against Cedrick Peynaud at York Hall. This was billed as another learning fight for Benn on his road to becoming a European/world title contender in a few years' time.

However, his bout did not stick to the script. Benn was downed twice in the first round - the first knockdowns of his career.

The Brit recovered to knock the Frenchman down in the fifth and sixth. The referee on the night - Bob Williams - scored the six-rounder 57-54 in Benn's favour, which was fortunate, to say the least.
After all the hype surrounding him, Benn was criticised for this showing and many questioned whether he had what it takes to cut it at the top level.
Benn's response to this concerning showing has been exemplary, though. After stopping Chris Truman, he rematched Peynaud in July 2018.

The vacant WBA Continental welterweight title on the line and this time, the result could not have been questioned.

On the Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker undercard, Benn knocked his opponent down three times en route to a convincing unanimous decision victory over ten rounds.

Since he got that monkey off his back, Benn has not looked back. The 24-year-old is now 18 fights into his pro career and is one of the fastest improving boxers around today.

Eddie Hearn has been putting him in front of slightly more difficult opponents with each fight he has.

Benn has went on to beat Jussi Koivula, Stephane Jamoye and Sebastian Formella in resounding fashion to defend his WBA continental title. Then his last fight was supposed to be his toughest yet…

It came against Samuel Vargas at the Copper Box Arena in April. The Columbian gave a good account of himself against Amir Khan and Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Vargas was expected to test Benn's world level credentials and many predicted it to be an uncomfortable night for the champion.

Benn made quick work of Vargas in devastating fashion though, blasting his opponent out in just 82 seconds.

As impressive as this showing was, his post-fight interview was arguably just as headline-grabbing.

Benn was clearly ready for war so he took his pent-up aggression out by calling out Khan and demanding a real challenge.

All around, this was the coming-of-age night for Benn. He put in his career-best performance in the ring and after his knockout win, he showed that he can sell a fight and put bums on seats.

In boxing, it is important to have a big personality, and Benn certainly has that. What is also in his favour is that he is a caring family man who recently had his first child.

He is only 24, but given how he carries himself; Benn is a man beyond his years, which makes him very amiable to the fighting public.
There are plenty of boxers that have similar traits to Benn, but his family history adds another string to his bow and it makes him more fascinating to watch.

Benn kicks off Fight Camp 2.0

Benn returns to the ring on July 31 against Adrian Granados in the headliner of Fight Camp Week One. Granados has fought Danny Garcia and took Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner the distance in previous defeats.

After his showing against Vargas, you would bet on Benn to get past Granados without too much trouble. This would keep him on track for a world title shot. Though a fight against Florian Marku seems inevitable after their recent meeting...

With the likes of Mike Costello and Andy Lee joining Fight Camp coverage, the Matchroom and DAZN partnership looks well-set to succeed from a presentation standpoint.

Their roster of fighters is also very impressive. Having Saul Canelo Alvarez is a major shot in the arm for them, but they do lack pay-per-view level attractions from the UK.

They will most likely have Joshua and Whyte once their deals with Sky Sports conclude. Yet to make this new venture as big as it can be, more fighters to the level of AJ and Whyte from the UK are needed.

Benn will be just that man. Given his route into boxing and his ever-growing popularity, when he does eventually challenge for a world title, British boxing fans will be clamouring to see it.

The Destroyer just needs to continue what he is doing. Keep "crushing it in the gym" as he likes to say and he will become one of the biggest drivers of revenue in the country…

You can follow me on Twitter here - @LewisOldham99

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