Press Release October 7, 2023 By DAZN -
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Undefeated Welterweight contender Conor Benn scored a
brutal fourth round knockout of former WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion
Chris Algieri on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Benn began
the fight by trying to establish an attack to Algieri’s body. Algieri, a
fighter known for his lateral movement and ability to pick his spots was unable
to find a rhythm due to both Benn’s body attack as well as his head movement,
which limited Algieri’s ability to land his jab. In round two, a short left hook
to the head sent Algieri down in a summersault like motion where his legs
momentarily got caught in the ropes. Algieri contended that it was a slip and
appeared to indicate that he felt he was hit behind the head. Nevertheless, the
knockdown was counted. Benn brought a sudden and dramatic conclusion to the
fight in the fourth round when a brutal one, two highlighted by a right hand to
the chin sent the former world champion down and out on the canvas. Official
time was 1:58 of round four. Conor Benn advances to 20-0, with 13 Knockouts.
Chris Algieri falls to 25-4, with 9 Knockouts.
Also on this card:
Undefeated Undisputed Women’s Lightweight world champion Katie
Taylor scored a ten round unanimous decision over top contender Firuza
Sharipova. The fight was largely dictated by Taylor’s hand speed as she
consistently found ways to beat Sharipova to the punch. Sharipova was able to
execute her offense in spots, but generally it was Taylor getting the better of
the action. Sharipova suffered a cut above the right eye in the fifth round as
a result of an accidental clash of heads. Perhaps in a sign of frustration, the
challenger was deducted a point in round six for holding, but even rough house
tactics were not enough to turn the ebb and flow in her favor and Taylor was
able to secure the convincing ten round unanimous decision to retain her
Lightweight crown. Official scores were: 98-92, 97-92, and 96-93 all for
Taylor. Katie Taylor advances to 20-0, with 6 Knockouts. Firuza
Sharipova falls to 14-2, with 8 Knockouts.
Jr. Welterweight contender Robbie Davies scored a second
round knockout over longtime contender Hank Lundy. Davies caught Lundy with a
right hook to the temple in round one that badly staggered the veteran and
former world title challenger. Lundy was able to survive the round under very
unsteady legs, but Davies sensing that his opponent was compromised pressed
forward in the second round, ultimately trapping Lundy and knocking him down
and through the ropes. Lundy struggled to get back in the ring, but was counted
out. Official time of the stoppage was 1:23 of round two. Lundy appeared to injury
his right leg as he fell through the ropes and was examined in his corner
following the stoppage. Robbie Davies advances to 22-3, with 15 Knockouts. Hank
Lundy falls to 31-10-1, with 14 Knockouts.
Undefeated Jr. Lightweight Joe Cordina scored a ten round
unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Miko Khatchatryan. Cordina
consistently forced the action and outworked Khatchatryan over ten rounds to
earn the unanimous decision victory. Official scores were 100-90, and 98-92 (On
two scorecards) in favor of Cordina. Joe Cordina advances to 14-0, with 8
Knockouts. Miko Khatchatryan falls to 13-1, with 7 Knockouts.
Jr. Featherweight Peter McGrail moved to 2-0 in his young career with a second round knockout of Engel Gomez. The end came with a one, two from McGrail from the southpaw stance that ended with a left hand to the chin that sent Gomez flat on his back on the canvas. The bout was immediately stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 2: 18 of round two. Peter McGrail advances to 2-0, with 1 Knockout. Engel Gomez falls to 8-4-1, with 4 Knockouts.
In a battle of undefeated Middleweights, Caoimhin Agyarko
scored an impressive ninth round stoppage of previously unbeaten Noe Larios. Agyarko
implemented a systematic attack and was able to find a home for his left hook with
increasing regularity throughout. This along with periodically switching his
stance from southpaw to orthodox kept Larios from being able to find a way to
break his rhythm. The end came when a flush left hook to the jaw of Larios
staggered him and sent him against the ropes. A follow up barrage of unanswered
punches forced a stoppage of the bout at 2:08 of round nine. Caoimhin Agyarko advances to 10-0, with 7 Knockouts. Noe
Larios falls to 14-1, with 6 Knockouts.
Super-Middleweight Paddy Lacey remained unbeaten by
scoring a workmanlike four round decision over Vasif Mamedov. As all non-title
bouts that do not impact regional or world rankings that are held in the United
Kingdom and Ireland are scored solely by the referee officiating a bout,
Referee John Latham scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Lacey. Paddy Lacey
advances to 3-0, with 0 Knockouts. Vasif Mamedov falls to 2-8-2 with 0
Knockouts.
Featherweight contender Jordan Gill fought to a three
round technical draw with veteran Alan Castillo. Gill suffered a cut on the
hairline as a result of an accidental clash of heads that resulted in the bout
being stopped. Because the bout was stopped before four rounds were completed,
the bout was declared a technical draw. Joran Gill advances to 26-1-1, with 7
Knockouts. Alan Castillo advances to 27-11-1, with 10 Knockouts.
Jr. Welterweight Calum French scored a six round decision
to begin his professional career over Rustem Fatkhullin. Referee Bob Williams
scored the bout 60-54 in favor of French. Calum French advances to 1-0, with 0
Knockouts. Rustem Fatkhullin falls to 8-17, with 3 Knockouts.
Jr. Featherweight Joe McGrail began the evening by successfully
making his professional debut in scoring a second round stoppage over Francisco
Rodriguez. McGrail scored a knockdown with a right hand in the second round and
had Rodriguez staggered badly in the latter seconds of the round. Although Rodriguez
was able to survive the round, his corner had seen enough and stopped the fight
at the conclusion of the second round. Joe McGrail advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout.
Francisco Rodriguez falls to 0-4, with 0 Knockouts.
For Conor Benn, the son of former two-division world
champion Nigel Benn, this was a statement-making performance against a former
world champion in Chris Algieri, who’s only previous stoppage loss came at the
hands of current IBF/WBC Welterweight world champion Errol Spence. As a
fighter, Nigel Benn was one of the most feared fighters in the Middleweight and
Super-Middleweight division because of his punching power and ability to end
fights often in devasting fashion in the blink of an eye. Several sons of great
fighters have ventured into the sport and have found it difficult to live up to
what is oftentimes an unrealistic expectation based on their roots of whose
footsteps they are following that has at times produced mixed results. For now,
Conor Benn has at least proven that he is a legitimate top contender. In terms
of his punching power, it’s clear that he inherited his father’s ability to end
a fight suddenly and in brutal fashion. Whether this ultimately leads him to
winning a world championship in his own right remains to be seen. The year 2022
just might be the year where Conor Benn will at least get an opportunity to win
one.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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