Via Charles Brun: Amir Khan predicts that welterweight contender Conor Benn will be the next PPV star in the UK, as long as promoter Eddie Hearn starts to put him into more intense competition.
Khan believes Hearn has been up against 25-year-old Benn with too many soft opponents and he wants to see him challenge him to the undefeated 24-year-old. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs).
Unfortunately, Ortiz is not one of the names Hearn mentions when it comes to pitting Benn for his next move.
He wants to bring Benn in with Jose Ramirez, Mikey Garcia, Maurice Hooker or Adrien Broner. Hearn is sorting out players that are smaller, older, and starting to show signs of slipping.
With Conor Benn, Hearn is sitting on an oil well pumping money honestly, bringing back things he doesn’t need to touch by pitting him against a quality objection that could spoil revenue source.
“In the UK, the next pay-per-view star is Conor Benn; he can definitely do it if he earns a large amount of money [fights]”Amir Khan said to Secondsout. “See, I think Eddie [Hearn] holding him back a little too much.
Conor Benn’s recent opponents:
- Chris Van Heerden
- Chris Algieri
- Adrian Granados
- Samuel Vargas
- Sebastian Formella
- Steve Jamoye
- Jussi Koivula
- Josef Zahradnik
- Cedrick Peynaud
“He is [Benn] calling out all the big names he wants to fight like me and Kell [Brook]. Was made.
“He needs to go and prove himself like when I fought [Marcos] Maidana. I fought Maidana when no one expected me to win. He needs to do the same thing,” Khan continued about Conor Benn.
There’s a difference between Khan’s situation when he played Marcos Maidana in 2010 versus where Benn is now. When Khan fought Maidana, he won a medal at the 2004 Olympics and won a world title at 140.
By contrast, Benn didn’t win a world title and Hearn wasn’t crazy enough to put him in a match against a world champion to watch him get shot.
Benn doesn’t have the benefits of an amateur career, so he’s learning on the job at a professional level but against opposition from older folks.
Hearn is likely to believe that Benn can slip in and claim one of four vacant titles from match winner Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
Hearn will feature Benn fighting for one of the 147 lb belts without requiring him to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. or Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Benn won’t stand a chance against either of those talented boxers.
“He needs to fight these Vergil Ortiz or fight young boxer who defeated Vergil Ortiz. He needs to really beat someone.
“When I defeated Maidana [in 2010]he had 31 skirmishes, one draw and 30 kills, so he [Benn] you need to prove yourself. I think he could be a huge pay-per-view star,” said Khan.
