By: Sean Crose
The undefeated 19-0 Conor Benn stepped into the ring in Liverpool, England on Saturday night to face his biggest challenge to date, former junior welterweight titlist, Chris Algieri, 25-3. Although he was arguably past his prime at 37 years of age, Algieri was the picture of fitness heading into the fight. The New Yorker had also won his last four in a row and had only been beaten by the bigger names of the game: Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence, and Amir Khan respectively. The welterweight battle was scheduled for 12 rounds, but didn’t last a third of that time.
Benn immediately went at his man at the opening bell and started landing cleanly. Algieri, a polished veteran of the pro game, fought back gamely, but it was clear Benn’s power was the dominant factor of the round. The second was a much tighter affair…until Benn put Algieri on the mat in the last seconds of the chapter. Algieri got up quickly, arguing that it wasn’t a punch that sent him down, but the referee thought otherwise.
Algieri was competitive in the third, but he didn’t seem to have the strength to get the edge on the more powerful Benn. Things remained relatively close for a good portion of the fourth, with Algieri engaging with some effectiveness. After Benn was able to get Algieri by the ropes, however, a piston-like one-two knocked Algieri unconscious before he even hit the mat. It was knockout of the year material and it gave Benn the victory.