Conor Benn’s new physique has divided boxing fans.
The British slugger hasn’t made wweight for a true 147-pound fight since his second-round knockout win over Chris van Heerden in Manchester four years ago, taking on Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson at super welterweight, before a brace of middleweight fights against Chris Eubank Jr., last year.
However, for his fight against the veteran American, Regis Prograis, Benn is to return to welterweight and, this week, in promotional footage for Ring Magazine, could be seen flexing for the cameras with his shirt off, and it was not long before diehards online began dissecting his overall health and whether he’s fighting fit at 147.
See the footage right here:
In the clip, Benn looks muscly but remarkably leaner than the more powerful figure he appeared in both Eubank fights.
And that was not lost on fans who suggested his desire to compete at welterweight could backfire if his body really has outgrown the division.
“That boy looks depleted,” the top comment said under Ring Magazine’s post. “Conor Benn is about to pass out,” another said. Another said: “He looks sickly even at a catchweight of 150 pounds.”
It is unlikely Prograis will be able to take advantage of Benn if he is, indeed, dehydrated in the build-up to, and during, Friday’s weigh-in, before he can rehydrate for Saturday’s showdown.
At 37, Prograis is past his prime and has lost twice in his last three fights — losing to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall, both by decision, before rebounding with a 10-round win on points over Joseph Diaz. All those fights, though, were at super lightweight.
Benn may well be motivated to stay at 147, if he’s able to, because the champions there — Rolando Romero, Ryan Garcia, Lewis Crocker, and Devin Haney — are perceived to be easier to pick apart than the killers who await him at 154, such as Sebastian Fundora, Xander Zayas, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, and Vergil Ortiz.
As a Zuffa Boxing fighter, it is also unclear how straight-forward it will be to fight for a title under that promotion, as Zuffa awards its own promotional belt, rather than a sanctioning body title.
