Conor Benn followed the lead of other elite fighters against Adrian Granados on the Josh Warrington-Maurico Lara card Saturday in Leeds, England.
Benn easily outpointed his American opponent, who made a name for himself as a stepping stone against the likes of Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Robert Easter.
Benn (19-0, 12 KOs) fought aggressively from the outset, winging big punches and connecting on many of them. That included some punishing body blows, particularly in the middle rounds.
Granados (21-9-3, 15 KOs) was competitive but he spent much of the fight trying to keep Benn off of him, mostly by moving his feet.
The Essex fighter was unable to take out Granados, who has been stopped only by big-punching Danny Garcia. However, he won by a wide decision. The scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93.
Benn said afterward that he was disappointed that Granados chose to move instead of engage him.
“It was very frustrating,” he said. “He was talking like we were going to come together like Mack Trucks, and he was on his bike the whole fight. I was ready to go toe to toe and let him have it.”
Benn is ranked by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, meaning he’s closing in on a title shot. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said Benn will be back in the ring in December.