Tag: chris algieri

Watch it: Conor Benn’s brutal knockout of Chris Algieri

Watch it: Conor Benn’s brutal knockout of Chris Algieri on Saturday in England.

Welterweight contender Conor Benn delivered his most impressive performance on Saturday in Liverpool, England, stopping veteran Chris Algieri in the fourth round.

Here’s the one-two by Benn that ended Algieri’s night in brutal fashion.

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Watch it: Conor Benn’s brutal knockout of Chris Algieri

Watch it: Conor Benn’s brutal knockout of Chris Algieri on Saturday in England.

Welterweight contender Conor Benn delivered his most impressive performance on Saturday in Liverpool, England, stopping veteran Chris Algieri in the fourth round.

Here’s the one-two by Benn that ended Algieri’s night in brutal fashion.

[lawrence-related id=26829,26824]

Conor Benn makes strong statement by stopping Chris Algieri

Welterweight contender Conor Benn made a strong statement by stopping Chris Algieri in four rounds Saturday in England.

That’s what you call making a statement.

Conor Benn, facing one of his biggest tests, stopped veteran Chris Algieri with two seconds remaining in Round 4 of a scheduled 12-round welterweight bout Saturday in Liverpool, England.

Only Errol Spence Jr. had been able to knock out the former 140-pound champ before Benn turned the trick.

Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) had dominated the bout before the knockout, fighting behind his jab to land power punches to both the head and body and taking little in return.

Algieri (25-4, 9 KOs) landed a few punches but spent most of his time covering up and doing his best to move out of harm’s way.

Then, with Algieri’s back against the ropes, Benn countered a weak jab from the American with a left and then a right hand that found Algieri’s chin and sent him tumbling to the canvas.

Conor Benn watches as Chris Algieri crashes to the canvas.  Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

There was no reason for referee Bob Williams to count; Algieri was out.

Benn celebrated immediately after the fight was waved off but assumed a more somber posture when he realized that Algieri remained on his back a minute or two after the stoppage.

Finally, when Algieri regained his senses and got up, Benn could enjoy his victory in earnest.

“I didn’t expect nothing else,” Benn said. “I work extremely hard and I knew the knockout was coming. I said the same thing about [Samuel] Vargas. I knew the knockout was coming.

“… I hope the Yanks know that I’m the best fighter in Britain, No. 1. And, No. 2, I’m coming for them.”

That said, neither Benn nor his promoter Eddie Hearn seem to be in a hurry because of his limited experience. He had only a reported 20 amateur fights.

Benn mentioned the intriguing possibility of facing the winner of the Feb. 19 Kell Brook-Amir Khan fight or 147-pound gatekeeper Adrian Broner.

And Hearn, interviewed as he stood beside Benn after the fight, didn’t bring up any names but he clearly wants to avoid the likes of titleholders Spence and Terence Crawford for the time being as Benn continues to develop.

“The job is to position him for a world title fight in the most difficult and dangerous division in boxing,” Hearn said. “147 pounds. There are no easy belts, there are no easy fights at the top.

“It’s about preparing him and making sure he’s perfectly ready … to swim with the sharks.”

Benn has one supporter close to him who believes the sky is the limit.

“This is the fight that Conor made his own path,” said Nigel Benn, his father and former world champion. “He’s not in my shadow no more. … Unbelievable, unbelievable. He’s going all the way.”

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Conor Benn makes strong statement by stopping Chris Algieri

Welterweight contender Conor Benn made a strong statement by stopping Chris Algieri in four rounds Saturday in England.

That’s what you call making a statement.

Conor Benn, facing one of his biggest tests, stopped veteran Chris Algieri with two seconds remaining in Round 4 of a scheduled 12-round welterweight bout Saturday in Liverpool, England.

Only Errol Spence Jr. had been able to knock out the former 140-pound champ before Benn turned the trick.

Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) had dominated the bout before the knockout, fighting behind his jab to land power punches to both the head and body and taking little in return.

Algieri (25-4, 9 KOs) landed a few punches but spent most of his time covering up and doing his best to move out of harm’s way.

Then, with Algieri’s back against the ropes, Benn countered a weak jab from the American with a left and then a right hand that found Algieri’s chin and sent him tumbling to the canvas.

Conor Benn watches as Chris Algieri crashes to the canvas.  Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

There was no reason for referee Bob Williams to count; Algieri was out.

Benn celebrated immediately after the fight was waved off but assumed a more somber posture when he realized that Algieri remained on his back a minute or two after the stoppage.

Finally, when Algieri regained his senses and got up, Benn could enjoy his victory in earnest.

“I didn’t expect nothing else,” Benn said. “I work extremely hard and I knew the knockout was coming. I said the same thing about [Samuel] Vargas. I knew the knockout was coming.

“… I hope the Yanks know that I’m the best fighter in Britain, No. 1. And, No. 2, I’m coming for them.”

That said, neither Benn nor his promoter Eddie Hearn seem to be in a hurry because of his limited experience. He had only a reported 20 amateur fights.

Benn mentioned the intriguing possibility of facing the winner of the Feb. 19 Kell Brook-Amir Khan fight or 147-pound gatekeeper Adrian Broner.

And Hearn, interviewed as he stood beside Benn after the fight, didn’t bring up any names but he clearly wants to avoid the likes of titleholders Spence and Terence Crawford for the time being as Benn continues to develop.

“The job is to position him for a world title fight in the most difficult and dangerous division in boxing,” Hearn said. “147 pounds. There are no easy belts, there are no easy fights at the top.

“It’s about preparing him and making sure he’s perfectly ready … to swim with the sharks.”

Benn has one supporter close to him who believes the sky is the limit.

“This is the fight that Conor made his own path,” said Nigel Benn, his father and former world champion. “He’s not in my shadow no more. … Unbelievable, unbelievable. He’s going all the way.”

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Fight Week: Vasily Lomachenko, Nonito Donaire return to ring

Fight Week: Vasily Lomachenko will face Richard Commey and Nonito Donaire will defend his title against Reymart Gaballo on a busy Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

VASILIY LOMACHENKO WILL FACE  RICHARD COMMEY IN HIS BID TO REMAIN A TOP 135-POUNDER. AND NONITO DONAIRE RETURNS AGAINST REYMART GABALLO.

Vasiliy Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) vs. Richard Commey (30-3, 27 KOs)     

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
  • TV/Stream: ESPN and ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Lomachenko No. 7
  • Odds: Lomachenko 7-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Jared Anderson vs. Oleksandr Teslenko, heavyweights
  • Prediction: Lomachenko UD 12
  • Background: Lomachenko is the last of four top 135-pounders to fight during a two-week period. Teofimo Lopez was upset on Nov. 27 by George Kambosos, who became undisputed champ. Devin Haney outpointed Joseph Diaz Jr. on Saturday. And Gervonta Davis overcame a stiff resistance to defeat Isaac Cruz on Sunday. Now Lomachenko has a chance to show how he measures up. The former pound-for-pound king lost his crown to Lopez by a unanimous decision in October of last year. The 33-year-old Ukrianian rebounded to stop Masayoshi Nakatani in June but still seems to be an afterthought when pundits discuss the best lightweights. And a victory over Commey probably won’t change that. The 34-year-old Ghanian can punch with the best of them but has limited all-around ability, as we saw when Lopez took him out in two rounds in December of 2019. The former titleholder bounced back to stop capable Jackson Marinez in six rounds this past February. His most-impressive victory was an eighth-round knockout of Raymundo Beltran in his first title defense in June 2019. On the undercard, 22-year-old heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs) of Toledo, Ohio, continues his education against Ukrainian Oleksandr Teslenko (17-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled eight-rounder.

 

Nonito Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) vs. Reymart Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs)                   

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Carson, Calif.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Bantamweight
  • At stake: Donaire’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Cody Crowley, 10 rounds, welterweights; Brandun Lee vs. Juan Heraldez, 10 rounds, junior welterweights; Hiroaki Teshigawara vs. Marlon Tapales, featherweights
  • Prediction: Donaire KO 7
  • Background: The ageless Filipino Flash – 39 years young – will be making the first defense of the title he won by stopping then-unbeaten Nordine Oubaali in four rounds this past May. Many believed that Donaire was finished as an elite fighter when he lost wide decisions to Jessie Magdaleno and Carl Frampton at 122 and 126 pounds in 2016 and 2018, respectively. What did he do? Move back down to 118, at which he resurrected his status. He won two fights, gave pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue all he could handle in a decision loss and then beat Oubaali at 38. The jury is still out on Gaballo, also a Filipino. He seemed to be schooled by Emmanuel Rodriguez in his most-recent fight and first serious test yet somehow emerged with a split-decision victory and the opportunity to fight for a major title. Donaire isn’t the technician that Rodriguez is, which might give Gaballo a chance in this fight. However, in terms of all-around ability and punching power, the challenger has never faced anyone even remotely like Donaire.

 

Conor Benn (19-0, 12 KOs) vs. Chris Algieri (25-3, 9 KOs)                

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Echo Arena, Liverpool
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Welterweight
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Benn 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Katie Taylor vs. Firuza Sharipova, lightweights (or Taylor’s undisputed title); Karim Guerfi vs. Jordan Gill, featherweights; Joe Cordina vs. Jesus Amparan, junior lightweights; Robbie Davies Jr. vs. Hank Lundy, junior welterweights; Caoimhin Agyarko vs. Noe Larios Jr., middleweights
  • Prediction: Benn UD
  • Background: Benn hopes to continue his slow ascent up the welterweight ladder against a 37-year-old former junior welterweight titleholder. The son of Nigel Benn has looked sharp as he has stepped up his opposition, including a wide decision over rugged Adrian Granados in September. That followed a first-round knockout over a solid opponent in Samuel Vargas in April. Benn is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, meaning his shot at a title will come if he continues to win. Algieri outpointed Ruslan Provodnikov to win the WBO 140-pound title and then immediately challenged WBO 147-pound champ Manny Pacquiao, who put him down six times en route to a lopsided decision victory. Algieri later lost to Amir Khan (UD) and Errol Spence Jr. (TKO 5) but has won his last four fights. He returned from a 22-month layoff to nearly shut out Mikkel LesPierre this past August, his most-recent fight. On the undercard, Katie Taylor (19-0, 6 KOs) will be defending her undisputed lightweight championship against Firuza Sharipova (14-1, 8 KOs).

 

Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. Umar Salamov (26-1, 19 KOs)                  

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Ekaterinburg, Russia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Light heavyweight
  • At stake: Bivol’s WBA title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Bivol 13½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Magomed Kurbanov vs. Patrick Teixeira, junior middleweights; Eduard Skavynskyi vs. TBA, welterweights; Ruslan Kamilov vs. Dmitrii Khasiev, junior lightweights; Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov vs. Rilwan Oladosu, junior lightweights; Artysh Lopsan vs. Ramil Gadzhyiev, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Bivol KO 10
  • Background: Bivol, arguably the best 175-pounder in the world, will be making the second defense of the WBA title (eighth if you count the WBA’s “regular” title) against Umar Salamov. The champ, a boxer-puncher from Russia, bowled over in succession Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. to establish himself as a force in the division. He’s coming off a closer-than-expected decision victory over Craig Richards in May. Bivol had been out of the ring for 19 months. Salamov, a Las Vegas-based Russian, has won seven consecutive fights since he lost a close decision to Damien Hooper in 2017 in Hooper’s native Australia. He last fought in April, when he defeated Sergei Ekimov by a split decision in Russia.

 

Also fighting this week: Johnriel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Paul Butler (33-2, 15 KOs) on Saturday in Dubai (no TV in U.S.). Also on that card, Sunny Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) defends his IBF flyweight belt against Jayson Mama (16-0, 9 KOs).

Fight Week: Vasily Lomachenko, Nonito Donaire return to ring

Fight Week: Vasily Lomachenko will face Richard Commey and Nonito Donaire will defend his title against Reymart Gaballo on a busy Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

VASILIY LOMACHENKO WILL FACE  RICHARD COMMEY IN HIS BID TO REMAIN A TOP 135-POUNDER. AND NONITO DONAIRE RETURNS AGAINST REYMART GABALLO.

Vasiliy Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) vs. Richard Commey (30-3, 27 KOs)     

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
  • TV/Stream: ESPN and ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Lomachenko No. 7
  • Odds: Lomachenko 7-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Jared Anderson vs. Oleksandr Teslenko, heavyweights
  • Prediction: Lomachenko UD 12
  • Background: Lomachenko is the last of four top 135-pounders to fight during a two-week period. Teofimo Lopez was upset on Nov. 27 by George Kambosos, who became undisputed champ. Devin Haney outpointed Joseph Diaz Jr. on Saturday. And Gervonta Davis overcame a stiff resistance to defeat Isaac Cruz on Sunday. Now Lomachenko has a chance to show how he measures up. The former pound-for-pound king lost his crown to Lopez by a unanimous decision in October of last year. The 33-year-old Ukrianian rebounded to stop Masayoshi Nakatani in June but still seems to be an afterthought when pundits discuss the best lightweights. And a victory over Commey probably won’t change that. The 34-year-old Ghanian can punch with the best of them but has limited all-around ability, as we saw when Lopez took him out in two rounds in December of 2019. The former titleholder bounced back to stop capable Jackson Marinez in six rounds this past February. His most-impressive victory was an eighth-round knockout of Raymundo Beltran in his first title defense in June 2019. On the undercard, 22-year-old heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs) of Toledo, Ohio, continues his education against Ukrainian Oleksandr Teslenko (17-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled eight-rounder.

 

Nonito Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) vs. Reymart Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs)                   

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Carson, Calif.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Bantamweight
  • At stake: Donaire’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Cody Crowley, 10 rounds, welterweights; Brandun Lee vs. Juan Heraldez, 10 rounds, junior welterweights; Hiroaki Teshigawara vs. Marlon Tapales, featherweights
  • Prediction: Donaire KO 7
  • Background: The ageless Filipino Flash – 39 years young – will be making the first defense of the title he won by stopping then-unbeaten Nordine Oubaali in four rounds this past May. Many believed that Donaire was finished as an elite fighter when he lost wide decisions to Jessie Magdaleno and Carl Frampton at 122 and 126 pounds in 2016 and 2018, respectively. What did he do? Move back down to 118, at which he resurrected his status. He won two fights, gave pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue all he could handle in a decision loss and then beat Oubaali at 38. The jury is still out on Gaballo, also a Filipino. He seemed to be schooled by Emmanuel Rodriguez in his most-recent fight and first serious test yet somehow emerged with a split-decision victory and the opportunity to fight for a major title. Donaire isn’t the technician that Rodriguez is, which might give Gaballo a chance in this fight. However, in terms of all-around ability and punching power, the challenger has never faced anyone even remotely like Donaire.

 

Conor Benn (19-0, 12 KOs) vs. Chris Algieri (25-3, 9 KOs)                

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Echo Arena, Liverpool
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Welterweight
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Benn 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Katie Taylor vs. Firuza Sharipova, lightweights (or Taylor’s undisputed title); Karim Guerfi vs. Jordan Gill, featherweights; Joe Cordina vs. Jesus Amparan, junior lightweights; Robbie Davies Jr. vs. Hank Lundy, junior welterweights; Caoimhin Agyarko vs. Noe Larios Jr., middleweights
  • Prediction: Benn UD
  • Background: Benn hopes to continue his slow ascent up the welterweight ladder against a 37-year-old former junior welterweight titleholder. The son of Nigel Benn has looked sharp as he has stepped up his opposition, including a wide decision over rugged Adrian Granados in September. That followed a first-round knockout over a solid opponent in Samuel Vargas in April. Benn is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, meaning his shot at a title will come if he continues to win. Algieri outpointed Ruslan Provodnikov to win the WBO 140-pound title and then immediately challenged WBO 147-pound champ Manny Pacquiao, who put him down six times en route to a lopsided decision victory. Algieri later lost to Amir Khan (UD) and Errol Spence Jr. (TKO 5) but has won his last four fights. He returned from a 22-month layoff to nearly shut out Mikkel LesPierre this past August, his most-recent fight. On the undercard, Katie Taylor (19-0, 6 KOs) will be defending her undisputed lightweight championship against Firuza Sharipova (14-1, 8 KOs).

 

Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. Umar Salamov (26-1, 19 KOs)                  

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 11
  • Where: Ekaterinburg, Russia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Light heavyweight
  • At stake: Bivol’s WBA title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Bivol 13½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Magomed Kurbanov vs. Patrick Teixeira, junior middleweights; Eduard Skavynskyi vs. TBA, welterweights; Ruslan Kamilov vs. Dmitrii Khasiev, junior lightweights; Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov vs. Rilwan Oladosu, junior lightweights; Artysh Lopsan vs. Ramil Gadzhyiev, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Bivol KO 10
  • Background: Bivol, arguably the best 175-pounder in the world, will be making the second defense of the WBA title (eighth if you count the WBA’s “regular” title) against Umar Salamov. The champ, a boxer-puncher from Russia, bowled over in succession Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. to establish himself as a force in the division. He’s coming off a closer-than-expected decision victory over Craig Richards in May. Bivol had been out of the ring for 19 months. Salamov, a Las Vegas-based Russian, has won seven consecutive fights since he lost a close decision to Damien Hooper in 2017 in Hooper’s native Australia. He last fought in April, when he defeated Sergei Ekimov by a split decision in Russia.

 

Also fighting this week: Johnriel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Paul Butler (33-2, 15 KOs) on Saturday in Dubai (no TV in U.S.). Also on that card, Sunny Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) defends his IBF flyweight belt against Jayson Mama (16-0, 9 KOs).

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao: Algieri says ‘we could get upset’

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao: Chris Algieri, who fought both men, smells a potential upset.

Can Manny Pacquiao beat Errol Spence Jr. in their 147-pound title-unification bout on Aug. 21? One man who faced both fighters believes so.

Chris Algieri lost a near shutout decision against Pacquiao in 2014 and was stopped in five rounds by Spence two years later. Algieri went down nine times in those fights, six times against Pacquiao.

He believes the Filipino icon shouldn’t be underestimated even though he’s now 42 years old and will have been out of the ring for more than two years.

Pacquiao stunned many observers when he defeated Keith Thurman by a split decision to win the WBA welterweight title in July 2019. He’s about a 3-1 underdog going into the fight with Spence.

“I never count out Manny,” he said on the DAZN Boxing Show. “He’s one of those guys. He has the one-punch power, he has that speed and he’s awkward. He sets traps, his off-beat rhythm. His ability to change throughout a fight. The best make adjustments.

“The guys who can adjust are the guys who separate from themselves. Manny does that as good as anyone even at that advanced age.”

Algieri, a former 140-pound champ, believes Pacquiao also is capable of hurting Spence. Pacquiao has one knockout in the past 11-plus years.

“He’s got a punch, he’s got power,” Algieri said. “If he can walk Spence into these shots we could get an upset.”

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao: Algieri says ‘we could get upset’

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao: Chris Algieri, who fought both men, smells a potential upset.

Can Manny Pacquiao beat Errol Spence Jr. in their 147-pound title-unification bout on Aug. 21? One man who faced both fighters believes so.

Chris Algieri lost a near shutout decision against Pacquiao in 2014 and was stopped in five rounds by Spence two years later. Algieri went down nine times in those fights, six times against Pacquiao.

He believes the Filipino icon shouldn’t be underestimated even though he’s now 42 years old and will have been out of the ring for more than two years.

Pacquiao stunned many observers when he defeated Keith Thurman by a split decision to win the WBA welterweight title in July 2019. He’s about a 3-1 underdog going into the fight with Spence.

“I never count out Manny,” he said on the DAZN Boxing Show. “He’s one of those guys. He has the one-punch power, he has that speed and he’s awkward. He sets traps, his off-beat rhythm. His ability to change throughout a fight. The best make adjustments.

“The guys who can adjust are the guys who separate from themselves. Manny does that as good as anyone even at that advanced age.”

Algieri, a former 140-pound champ, believes Pacquiao also is capable of hurting Spence. Pacquiao has one knockout in the past 11-plus years.

“He’s got a punch, he’s got power,” Algieri said. “If he can walk Spence into these shots we could get an upset.”