Conor Benn W10 Regis Prograis ... Conor Benn showcased his speed and conditioning as he comprehensively outworked former two-time 140-pound champion Regis Prograis over 10 rounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Benn pushed the pace throughout the ten-round matchup as he forced Prograis onto the back foot for almost the entirety of their 150-pound catchweight contest to earn a clear unanimous decision victory on the scorecards. The action started quickly as both men looked to take charge of the early exchanges, but it was Benn’s shots that seemed to carry the greater threat in the opening three minutes. Then, right at the bell at the end of the round, Benn connected with a big straight right that caused both of Prograis’ legs to buckle as he wobbled, but didn’t go down.
Benn continued his aggressive start through rounds two and three, as he consistently beat Prograis to the punch and found a home with his snapping jab. But the Englishman had to deal with his first moment of adversity early in the fourth when Prograis clipped him with some solid left hands and, after an accidental clash of heads, opened up a cut above Benn’s right eye.
Prograis enjoyed his best round of the fight in the fourth as he found his range and connected with several scoring shots. And, in the fifth, the former two-time world champion started to let his shots go as he looked to answer Benn’s power shots in kind. After calling the Englishman forward at the start of the sixth, Prograis came out and landed big shots on the Englishman and, after another accidental head clash, Benn emerged with a second cut, this time over his other eye. In a tricky round for the home fighter, Benn later drew the ire of the referee, who didn’t appreciate the Englishman’s mid-fight trash talk to his opponent
Benn found another gear in Round 7 as he turned up the heat on Prograis by pushing a relentless pace and ripping him to the midsection with some savage body shots. But he got a warning in the final minute of a round, as a smart counter briefly stopped him in his tracks. The body attack from Benn continued through the eighth as he poured the pressure on Prograis, who took his best shots well, albeit with a noticeably lower output himself.
After the ninth round ended with the pair glaring over the shoulder at each other as they returned to their corners, the final stanza started with Benn shoving Prograis to the canvas and receiving a warning from the referee. Benn kept pushing the pace as he walked down the American, throwing big shots. Heads clashed, and shots were traded, but overall it was Benn who held sway as his aggression kept him on the front foot all the way to the final bell.
After a rough, tough ten-rounder reached its conclusion, the attention turned to the judges’ scorecards, who all scored the fight the same – 98-92 to Benn, who claimed the 25th win of his professional career. Now the attention will turn to what comes next, with “The Destroyer” likely to set his sights on welterweight championship glory in the not-too-distant future.
