Notebook: Conor Benn fights Saturday but eyes bout with Amir Khan or Kell Brook
Frampton speaks; Munguia foe change; Quick hits, Show and tell
In Conor Benn’s perfect world he will get a chance to add at least one of two of the bigger names in British boxing to his resume before they retire.
Benn, the promising welterweight son of British legend and two-division world titlist Nigel Benn, would love a chance to face either Amir Khan or Kell Brook, both former world titleholders with big names in the twilight of their careers.
But for either of those bouts to have a chance of happening, Benn must first ace a test against the veteran Samuel Vargas when they meet for Benn’s regional belt on Saturday (DAZN in the U.S., Sky Sports in the U.K., 2 p.m. ET) at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London.
Vargas (31-6-2, 14 KOs), 31, a Colombia native fighting out of Toronto, has vast experience. Five of his losses have come to top fighters: decisions to Khan and former titlist Luis Collazo and by knockout against Errol Spence Jr., when he was a big-time prospect, Danny Garcia and Vergil Ortiz Jr., who stopped him in the seventh round in Vargas’ most recent fight last July.
“He’s an experienced fighter,” Benn said of Vargas. “He’s got tons of heart. He’s got tons of grit and sheer determination that so many fighters lack. He brings the heat. This ain’t going to be a one-two lights out. It isn’t going to be one of them. This is going to be a hard fight. This is going to be me getting stuck straight in and us two going at it in there. It’s going to be one hell of a fight and that’s what I’m preparing for.
“He gave Amir Khan hell. Amir Khan got saved by the bell and by the grace of God three or four times in that fight. He had him on the deck. I know Khan’s chin isn’t that credible but he’s a well-respected fighter. He’s achieved everything that I want to achieve in the sport. This is going to be a harder fight than people think in my opinion.”
Benn (17-0, 11 KOs), 24, of England, has yet to fight anybody with the value as Vargas, but he is coming off his most notable win in his last fight, a one-sided 10-round decision in November over Sebastian Formella, whose only previous loss was a decision to Shawn Porter in the fight before he faced Benn.
Benn said he won’t overlook Vargas even with bigger possible fights dancing in his head.
“I made the mistake once of overlooking an opponent and I hit the deck twice. I can go back to that fight because it was a career-defining moment for me,” Benn said of his six-round decision win over Cedrick Peynaud, who dropped him twice in the first round in 2017. “I had to ask myself how badly I wanted it. It taught me to never overlook an opponent. I thought. ‘what’s he going to do to me?’ Boom -- straight one-two. That was a massive reality check for me. Since then I don’t overlook opponents.
“I’m not overlooking Vargas, but what doors open after him? I want a big domestic fight still, someone that I can take that experience off. The Amir Khans, the Kell Brooks. The Josh Kelly fight is still there if he’s still fighting. The Amir Khan fight would be one hell of a fight. That would be a great British clash. Amir Khan was a fighter I looked up to and so was Kell Brook. Why not put me in with one of them after Vargas?”
Frampton on retirement
On Tuesday, former two-division titlist Carl Frampton (28-3, 16 KOs), 34, of Northern Ireland, released a detailed statement about his retirement, which he announced in the ring on Saturday following a sixth-round knockout loss challenging junior lightweight titlist Jamel Herring in Dubai.
“Only those closest to me know that, win, lose or draw with Jamel Herring, I was planning to retire,” Frampton said. “I made a promise to myself and to my wife and kids -- the most important people in my life -- that whatever the result, that was my last one.
“When I look back on my career I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined. Celtic, Commonwealth and European titles, winning my first world title at home in a purpose-built arena, the sold-out nights defending that title at the Odyssey (in Belfast), unifying a division, defeating a top ten pound for pound guy, winning a title in a second division against the odds, Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, MBE, and fulfilling a dream by fighting and winning in front of a packed Windsor Park.
“For me though, my biggest career achievement has been my fan base and support. I can’t express how thankful I am to the army of fans who made those nights in the Odyssey so atmospheric, the 16,000 that saw me win my first title at home on that special night, the 15,000 who travelled to Manchester the night we took over and I unified, and the thousands that travelled to the States to watch me fight a great champion in Leo Santa Cruz.
“As a fighter, the support has been my biggest and proudest accomplishment. The outpouring of respect that I have received since my defeat to Herring has been immense and I thank all who have said kind words to me. They fill me with a huge sense of pride.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of my beautiful wife Christine and my amazing children, Carla and Rossa. Christine has made sacrifices that I am eternally grateful for; giving up on her own aspirations to allow me to fulfill mine, supporting me financially at the start when I had nothing, and supporting me emotionally throughout my career without ever asking for anything
in return. I owe her so much and now I would love to help her chase her own dreams.
“As much as my family, I cannot forget the people, city and nation that I have come from. My sense of belonging, my roots and the community have always uplifted me and given me so much. It is my turn now to repay some of that and to take on the new challenge of helping others as they have helped me in the past.
“I was 7 years old when I joined Midland/White City ABC and I learnt early on that resilience and determination was the only difference between me, and the many other kids who I lost to growing up as a young amateur. So, to anybody out there chasing dreams, if you want it enough you can get it.
“Thank you to my Mum and Dad, to Billy McKee, to Cooper McClure, to Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis, to MTK Global, to Ben Pilbeam and thinkBeyond Talent, to everyone that has supported me and played a part in my career over the last 27 years, big or small, and the biggest thank you to my wife Christine and children Carla and Rossa. You will always come first.”
Munguia needs new foe
Just days after Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN announced that Mexican middleweight contender Jaime Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs), 24, a former junior middleweight titlist, would face Poland’s Maciej Sulecki (29-2, 11 KOs), 31, in the 12-round main event April 24 at the Don Haskins Center on the campus of the University Texas at El Paso, Sulecki withdrew from the fight on Tuesday.
Sulecki withdrew due to a back injury suffered in a sparring session last week, a Golden Boy source told Fight Freaks Unite.
Sulecki informed Golden Boy that he suffered the injury on Thursday and would see a doctor while Golden Boy informed DAZN of the situation, the source said. On Friday, Sulecki was ruled out of the bout.
Golden Boy proposed that D’Mitrius Ballard (20-0-1, 13 KOs), 28, of Temple Hills, Maryland, whom it promotes, serve as a replacement opponent and is awaiting DAZN’s approval.
Ballard, who wants the fight according to Golden Boy, might be a more interesting opponent given his size and that he is three years younger and fresher than Sulecki, who has lost both times he has stepped up to face a top opponent.
New Top Rank executive
Top Rank announced on Monday that it has hired Brian Kelly for the newly created role of chief revenue officer. He will be responsible for “cultivating strategic corporate partnerships in a changing media landscape, where live sports and fan engagement are increasingly crucial assets for sponsors and advertisers,” Top Rank said in its announcement.
“Brian is a seasoned brand expert who will play a vital role in the company’s sponsorships, advertising and revenue streams,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “His addition is indicative of Top Rank’s new direction, which will integrate the boxing and content worlds with calculated brand collaborations.”
Kelly has previously worked at then-start-up Bleacher Report and most recently served as the CRO for G/O Media, where he oversaw sales, marketing, and events for the company’s portfolio of brands, including Deadspin and The Onion.
“Top Rank has long been boxing’s most innovative and forward-thinking promotional firm, and I am truly excited for the opportunity to help expand their corporate footprint,” Kelly said.
Joe Smith has big plans
Light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. had a chance to fight for a world title in March 2019 and got routed by Dmitry Bivol. But Smith believes he learned an important lesson that night and plans to take it into his second opportunity to win a 175-pound belt.
Smith will challenge Maxim Vlasov for a vacant title in Saturday night’s Top Rank main event at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a fight postponed from Feb. 13 in Las Vegas because Vlasov tested positive for Covid-19 prior to the weigh-in.
I spoke to Smith at length and he talked about what he learned from the loss to Bivol and his thoughts on probably facing world champion Artur Beterbiev in a unification fight later this year if he beats Vlasov. I wrote a story about our conversation for The Ring website. Please read that piece here: https://www.ringtv.com/619847-joe-smith-jr-wants-to-make-the-most-of-his-second-world-title-chance/
Quick hits
The IBF sent a letter to all of its registered promoters on Tuesday morning to notify them that “the Michael Hunter vs. Filip Hrgovic purse bid (has) been postponed. The rescheduled date will be announced at a later time if necessary.” Hunter (19-1-1, 13 KOs) and Hrgovic (12-0, 10 KOs) were ordered to meet in a heavyweight title eliminator to produce one of Anthony Joshua’s mandatory challengers. On Monday, Kalle Sauerland, Hrgovic’s promoter, told Fight Freaks Unite that the sides were still in talks.
Now that Herring has retained his 130-pound title by stopping Frampton, the WBO has given him 30 days to let the sanctioning body know in writing if he will honor an overdue mandatory obligation to face Shakur Stevenson (or Jeremiah Nakathila if he beats Stevenson in their interim title bout on June 12) or vacate the belt. Stevenson already stepped aside to allow Herring to first face Frampton. After the win over Frampton, Herring said his preference is to unify with WBC counterpart Oscar Valdez or move up to lightweight. If Herring vacates, the Stevenson-Nakathila winner will be for the full title.
Junior middleweight contenders Erickson Lubin and Jeison Rosario have agreed to terms to meet in a Showtime-televised bout this summer. Kevin Cunningham, Lubin’s trainer, told Fight Freaks Unite that the fight could be in early June and possibly take place in Florida, the home state of Orlando native Lubin (23-1, 16 KOs), 25, a southpaw, who has won five fights in a row since a first-round knockout loss challenging Jermell Charlo for his world title in October 2017. Rosario (20-2-1, 14 KOs), 25, of the Dominican Republic, traveled to Julian “J Rock” Williams’ hometown of Philadelphia and knocked him out in the fifth round to take his unified world title in January 2020, but he lost the belts in his next outing when Charlo knocked him out in the eighth round of their unification fight this past September.
British countrymen Kid Galahad (27-1, 16 KOs), 30, and James “Jazza” Dickens (30-3, 11 KOs), 29, will meet for the vacant IBF featherweight title on May 8 (DAZN) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders undercard. Galahad posted the sanctioning letter with the date and location of the fight on social media even though it hasn’t been officially announced. In early February, MTK Global won the purse bid for the bout for $202,500, which is to be split 50-50 between the fighters. MTK also is the adviser for Saunders. The belt became vacant when Josh Warrington relinquished it rather than face Galahad in a rematch of a fight he won in June 2019.
Sugar Ray Leonard’s fight-worn gloves from the famed Robert Duran ‘no mas’ rematch sold in the SCP auction on Saturday night for $66,734. Duran’s fight-worn gloves from the fight sold in the same auction for $33,378.
Former two-division titlist Jessie Vargas, who recently said that he would be returning for a junior middleweight fight an opponent to be determined on the Alvarez-Saunders undercard on May 8, will no longer be on the show. Vargas told Fight Freaks Unite that he is not injured but that advisers Al Haymon and Guadalupe Valencia are instead looking for a bigger fight for him. “Now I will wait for news for a fight later in the summer,” Vargas said. Vargas (29-3-2, 11 KOs), 31, of Las Vegas, has not boxed since February 2020, when he lost a competitive unanimous decision to four-division world titlist Mikey Garcia in a welterweight bout in Frisco, Texas.
Former light heavyweight title challenger Callum Johnson (18-1, 13 KOs), 35, of England, who has not fought since sending Seanie Monaghan into retirement via third-round knockout in March 2019, is set for his first fight in two years. Promoter Frank Warren announced Tuesday that Johnson will face Emil Markic (32-2, 24 KOs), 32, of Bosnia, in a 10-rounder on April 24 (BT Sport in the U.K.) in London. Johnson’s lone defeat came in a shootout with light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in October 2018. Johnson dropped Beterbiev but got stopped in the fourth round. “I have been out for two years, but I am not bothered what level I come back at. I am a fighter at the end of the day,” Johnson said. “There is pressure after two years out. I just hope I remember to do it right when I get back in there. I’m sure I will. I just want activity, to be in exciting fights and have a great couple of years.”
Show and tell
When Sugar Ray Leonard came out of a three-year retirement — and having fought just once in the previous five years — to challenge Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the middleweight championship in a showdown that had been talked about for years it was one of the biggest fights in boxing history. It also turned out to be a very exciting and memorable bout that Leonard won by split decision in a huge upset at the famed outdoor arena at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 6, 1987, which was 34 years ago on Tuesday. I am often asked how I scored the fight. I had Leonard winning 115-113. I re-watched it Monday night and scored it yet again. It's always the same: rounds 1-4 to Leonard (no question), 5th to Hagler, 6th to Leonard, 7-9 to Hagler, 10th to Leonard (very close), 11th to Hagler and 12th to Leonard. Here is a poster from the fight in my collection.
Benn photo: Matchroom Boxing; Frampton photo: Queensberry Promotions; Munguia photo: Tom Hogan/Golden Boy
If Smith is certain that he has learned from his loss to Bivol, then one can only deduce that Smith vs Vlasov will be an entertaining fight. Vlasov's last American fight, if I remember correctly, was against 'Zurdo' Ramirez. Both fighters have since moved up in weight and faced better opposition, although Ramirez has had some significant gaps between fights even before the pandemic. Vlasov made a stupendous recovery and was taking the fight to Ramirez. I thought Vlasov had a narrow lead in the end and did end up bruising and lumping Ramirez's face quite sufficiently to make the case. I'd like to see this match again, although I believe Vlasov has been more active and probably sits better in the light heavyweight division than Ramirez.
116-113 MMH. Forced the fight, landed the better quality punches and his opponent held far too much. The referee was dreadful in that fight. Let Leonard get away with everything - holding, hitting low, hitting after the bell. Same in the Tommy Hearns rematch.