Conor Benn will defend his WBA Continental Welterweight Title against South Africa’s Chris Van Heerden at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday April 16, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).
‘The Destroyer’ (20-0, 13 KOs) secured a stunning knockout win over former World Champion Chris Algieri last time out in December, taking out the American with a brutal right hand in the fourth round of their top of the bill clash at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
The 25-year-old contender from Essex holds top ten rankings with the WBA, WBO and IBF after notching three wins during a breakout 2021 – and the British star believes that 2022 will be an even bigger year for him as he works towards a World Title shot.
Conor Benn:
“People aren’t giving van Heerden a chance here which surprises me. For people to be saying, ‘why’s he fighting van Heerden?’, that’s a backhanded compliment really. They are trying not to show me respect but really they are because you wouldn’t have put me in this position two years ago, three years ago, four years ago. So, it doesn’t really matter what people think at the end of the day because progression is real.
“I love challenges. I thrive off of challenges, so do all fighters. We are all competitive and we love to compete and this is a challenge. This is a different type of challenge that I am prepared and will overcome with flying passing colours.
“I’m going to go in if I see an opportunity. I’ll take it.
“I knocked out Algieri out like no one else has. I’m going to knock Van Heerden out like no one else has. I believe that passion and hard work can get you anywhere.
“It’s not emotion, I just fight with passion. I work extremely hard and it ain’t just me working hard. It’s six years of sacrifice to let a moment like this slip between my fingers.”
Chris van Heerden:
“All respect for Conor for giving me this opportunity. I have nothing but respect for him. I am ready for this. I have visualised this moment… I was supposed to fight in the UK a couple of times… It was always a dream and a vision. I have what it takes to be in that top 10. I see it. I didn’t come here for paycheck. I didn’t come here to get a fight. I came here for my career. I came here to win and get my career back on track and get back in that top 10. I do believe in myself, and I do believe that I have everything it takes to get right back up there.
“I respect Conor Benn and I believe he is right up there with the best and that is why I took this fight. I want to be competitive and if you talk about boxing, I do believe I am a better boxer than Conor, all around better boxer. He’s an angry, aggressive fighter. He’s a fighter. I’m a boxer. And I do believe that I have the skill to show that I am a better boxer than Conor.
“I was offered a bunch of other fights, way easier fights. But I believe that Conor is right up there, and I am there to test him and see if he’s really, really legit.
“I just wish my dad was here because we spoke about this moment for a long time. I left him for eight years, every birthday, every Christmas, chasing this dream. And then my dad was brutally murdered three years ago. But we did it and we are here. So, I feel it. This is it.”
