Conor Benn Secures Unanimous Decision Over Regis Prograis

Conor Benn emerged victorious against former world champion Regis Prograis on the undercard of Tyson Fury's highly anticipated comeback fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning by a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 98-92 in his favor. Following the bout, Prograis announced his retirement from the sport. This victory marked Benn's return to the same venue where he had previously settled his rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr, albeit at a catchweight of 150lb, a notable adjustment from their previous middleweight contests. Prograis, a skilled and accomplished two-time world champion at super-lightweight, was competing in the twilight of his career and had moved up in weight for this encounter. Despite being at a later stage in his career, Prograis showcased his cunning and experience, managing to find vulnerabilities in Benn's defense and landing significant blows, including a left to the head and body shots. The fight was also marked by head clashes that resulted in cuts for Benn, adding an extra layer of challenge for him to overcome. However, Benn's youthful energy and relentless aggression ultimately proved decisive. He freely swung hooks and delivered driving blows into Prograis' torso, demonstrating his formidable offensive capabilities. Stream boxing and more contract-free with NOW. Listen to the Toe2Toe podcast every week. Prograis felt the full force of Benn's power, particularly in the first round when Benn staggered him with a one-two combination on the bell, and throughout the fight as Benn landed his right cross with precision. In the seventh round, Prograis landed a significant left cross that knocked Benn back a step, only for Benn to respond with a powerful right that drove Prograis off. As the fight progressed into the ninth round, Benn pressured Prograis, utilizing jabs effectively and landing a long right hook around the former champion's ribs, followed by a pair of lead lefts. As the bout drew to a close, Prograis was forced to rely on his resilience, a testament to his toughness as only a select few, including Josh Taylor, Devin Haney, and Jack Catterall, had previously beaten him, and none had managed to stop him. Benn, with blood from his cuts obscuring his face, chopped down at Prograis with hard right and left hooks to the chin, but the American endured, taking the hits to last the full 10-round distance. In another significant development, Richard Riakporhe asserted himself as a potent force in the heavyweight division by defeating Jeamie TKV in five rounds to become a two-time British champion. TKV, the defending champion following his victory over Frazer Clarke last year, attempted to crowd Riakporhe, but the latter's booming right hand caused trouble early on. The contest became scrappy as TKV hustled forward and clinched with Riakporhe, leading to a warning from the referee and a point deduction for leading with his head. Riakporhe took control, landing a clubbing right that sent TKV staggering to the canvas. As Riakporhe moved in to finish, TKV tried to grab him in a hold, only to be tossed to the canvas. The challenger then unleashed a barrage, including a huge right, a backhand, and a left hook, culminating in a left and an uppercut that prompted the referee to intervene and end the fight at 2:12 of the fifth round. Riakporhe declared, 'The plan is to carry on knocking these guys out. I want to challenge for the world title, I'm keeping my eye on Fabio Wardley against Daniel Dubois - I'd love to fight the winner.' He also extended a challenge to Johnny Fisher, saying, 'I want to offer them the opportunity to fight for this belt, it's here for you.' In a closely contested 10-round heavyweight clash, Justis Huni edged out Frazer Clarke by majority decision, with one judge scoring it 95-95 and the other two judges favoring Huni 96-94. Clarke, despite the loss, emerged with credit for pushing Huni, a high-caliber heavyweight contender, to the limit. This performance was particularly noteworthy given Clarke's recent punishing loss to Jeamie TKV for the British heavyweight title, which had put the trajectory of his future career in question. Under pressure, Clarke boxed with assurance from the center of the ring but was ultimately outdone by Huni's superior hand speed. Huni's rapid left and varied work from the head to the body proved decisive. Clarke shifted gears at the end of the fourth round, clipping Huni with a combination and then unleashing hooks to the body and an uppercut to the head. In the ninth round, a fine right cross from Huni slammed into Clarke, followed by a well-placed right uppercut, a punch Huni had utilized effectively throughout the fight. Clarke attempted to chase Huni down in the final round but the Australian finished the bout on his feet, satisfied with his performance. Although the result may be disappointing for Clarke, it marked a significantly improved performance under his new trainer, Joe Gallagher.