Conor Benn vs Chris Algieri – Big Fight Preview & Predictions

Conor Benn headlines at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this Saturday night, as he takes on former world champion, Chris Algieri in the main event over ten rounds. Benn’s WBA Continental welterweight title will be at stake, and DAZN televise the card live as Benn looks to take another step in his quest to become a world-elite.

Benn (19-0, KO12) is being slowly built, and his last three outings have seen gradual steps up in class. He first widely outscored Sebastian Formella in November last year, before wiping out Samuel Vargas in a round in April. ‘The Destroyer’ last boxed in September, where he laboured somewhat in a points win over Adrian Granados.

The question here is how much New Yorker Algieri (25-3, KO9) has left. The 37-year-old won the WBO super lightweight title in 2014 in a thriller with Russian Provodnikov, but was hammered to defeat by Manny Pacquiao in stepping up to welterweight a fight later, down six times in all in a points loss. Further losses to Amir Khan and Errol Spence Jr dropped his stock, but he has won  four in a row since the Spence reverse.

After forcing Tommy Coyle to retire in June 2019, Algieri returned to action in August, taking an impressive ten round win against Mikkel LesPierre.

Prediction: It looks like a good test on paper for Benn, and it’s one that he should come through handily. After going for the knockout, Benn should settle into a rhythm, and he should come through handily on the cards.

Katie Taylor (19-0, KO6) defends her wealth of lightweight gold for a fifth time, with Kazakhstan’s Firuza Sharipova (14-1, KO8) the latest to try and derail the Bray juggernaut. Taylor dropped Jennifer Han on the way to a shutout points win last time out in September, but she has showed signs of slowing down in her last few outings. Sharipova lost on debut, but is unbeaten since, although she has been nowhere near world class level. Her last two fights have been six rounders, with won early, but she should be no match for Taylor, who can retain her WBC,WBA,IBF and WBO belts with a wide points win.

The vacant WBA Continental belt is at stake at super lightweight, as Robbie Davies Jr (21-3, KO14) meets Henry ‘Hank’ Lundy (31-9-1, KO14) over ten. Davies has been patchy of late, and is looking to get back on track here. Lundy has been in with, and lost to, some great fighters, and challenged for the WBO belt in 2016, stopped in five by the gifted Terence Crawford. The 37-year-old American is 2-3 in his last five outings, the last a points loss over ten to Jose Zepeda in May. He saw a proposed fight with Lewis Ritson fall through at the last minute last month.

Prediction: Davies can take a win on the cards.

A super featherweight ten rounder sees the talented Joe Cordina (13-0, KO8) take on fellow unbeaten Miko Khatchatryan (13-0, KO7). Cordina is touted for big things, and i don’t see Khatchatryan, who fight outside of Belgium for the first time, halting that progress. The Welshman can win inside the distance.

Prediction: Cordina KO/Stoppage.

Caoimhin Agyarko (9-0, KO6) makes his Matchroom debut, and the Irishman should have too much for California’s Noe Larios Jr (14-0, KO6), with the vacant WBA International middleweight title the prize. Agyarko can take the belt via stoppage.

GB Olympian Calum French makes his pro debut, and the Gateshead super lightweight should take a points win against Rustem Fatkhullin (8-16, KO3).