Conor Benn’s ascent in the welterweight division sees him face Chris van Heerden tonight, with the Briton defending his WBA Continental title against the South African at Manchester’s AO Arena.
Benn, 25, enters the bout with a perfect record of 20-0 (13 knockouts), having stopped Chris Algieri in the fourth round last time out, in November.
Son of boxing icon Nigel, Benn recently expressed a desire to take on compatriot Kell Brook after the latter’s victory over Amir Khan, but marquee match-ups of that type will have to wait for now.
Van Heerden, meanwhile, last competed in December 2020, fighting to a No Contest against Jaron Ennis due to a cut to the South African’s head from an accidental headbutt. As such, the 32-year-old Van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs) will likely have to overcome some ring rust as well as hostile fans if he is to beat Benn.
Here’s all you need to know.
When is the fight?
The fight will take place on Saturday 16 April.
The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST, with ring walks for the main event likely taking place shortly after 10pm.
How can I watch it?
In the UK, the fight will air exclusively on streaming platform DAZN.
DAZN is available at a cost of £7.99 per month.
Odds
Benn: 1/10
Draw: 25/1
Van Heerden: 5/1
Via Betfair.
Full card
Conor Benn vs Chris van Heerden
Chris Billam-Smith vs Tommy McCarthy
Campbell Hatton vs Lee Glover
Jordan Thompson vs Mariano Angel Gudino
Jack Cullen vs TBA
Thomas Whittaker-Hart vs Ben Ridings
Cyrus Pattinson vs Danny Mendoza
Luke Evans vs Miguel Cesario Antin
