By: Maiqi Zhang – After a busy weekend of boxing, fans around the world eagerly await one of the most exciting fights of the year: the heavyweight unification match between Errol Spence Jr. (27-0) and Yordenis Ugas (27-4-0), which is set to take place this Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Quietly across the pond, however, a match featuring young, undefeated and promising Korean heavyweight Conor Benn (20-0-0) will also take place at the AO Arena in Manchester. , Brother.
Benn and Van Heerden
Conor Benn, 25, is looking to set an undefeated record and WBA Continental title against veteran South African boxer Chris Van Heerden (28-2-1). This fight will be a relatively easy, restorative one for Benn, as Van Heerden is likely to rust from inactivity. Chris Van Heerden’s last match against Jaron “Boots” Ennis was in December 2020, and it ended up being a no-brainer after Van Heerden was cut in the first round. A look back at Van Heerden’s record shows that he is not a powerful puncher, like many of Benn’s past opponents. But what he lacks in power can somewhat be redeemed through his experience. 34-year-old Van Heerden is no stranger to the big stage. He made a name for himself in his native South Africa before beating Matthew Hatton as part of his four-year winning streak. Moreover, Van Heerden also has experience fighting one of the best Welterweight fighters in the world today, Errol Spence Jr.
However, Connor Benn remains the fan favorite for this fight. And yes, Benn has had some pretty impressive wins against veteran boxers with even more impressive résumés. Like Van Heerden, fighters Benn has beaten comfortably in the past, such as Chris Algeri and Adrian Granados, are not known for their strength. On Saturday this week, Benn is expected by fans to win the game and do so impressively.
Despite being ranked highly by many boxing organizations and stores as one of the top ten weightlifters today, many still consider Benn a domestic level fighter or a first-rate contender. With that said, Benn is required to upgrade his opponent after this boxer. If he overwhelms Van Heerden this Saturday, then it will be time for Benn to take the big stage with more sophisticated opponents.
Stanionis vs Butaev
Another relatively obscure match that many boxing media ignore will also take place this Saturday in Arlington, Texas. A former Olympic athlete and a famous amateur boxer in Europe, the undefeated Lithuanian-born Eimantas Stanionis (13-0-0) will face Russian boxer Radzhab Butaev (14-0-0) to WBA belt competition. This fight is set to be one of the underhands before the main event, but importantly, it suffices to stand alone as the main hand of a Showtime Champion Boxing episode that isn’t Pay-Per-View.
This is one of those fights that arguably deserves more attention and attention than it does now. Both Stanionis and Butaev are undefeated opponents highly ranked by various boxing organizations. At the time of this writing, Stanionis is ranked by the WBO as The Ring Magazine’s #1 and #7 nominees. Butaev, on the other hand, is ranked #9 according to Ring Magazine, but he also holds the WBA regular weight class title. The winner of this fight will definitely get a chance to challenge the winner of the main event to a match in the future. And so the importance of this war cannot be diminished.
Stylistically speaking, this fight should also be an entertaining one with lots of action. Both fighters are considered pressure fighters with power and aren’t afraid to trade punches in the middle of the ring. Butaev is on the verge of a solid knockout victory over former WBA regular titleholder Jamal James in a match that took place last October. Stantinois, on the other hand, is coming out of an uncontested fight with veteran Luis Collazo last August. However, despite being unchallenged, Stanionis proved himself a worthy challenger when he defeated Thomas Dulorme in April of the same year, who was ranked #14 by the WBA at the time.
Judging by the background of both boxers, Butaev stands out as being a bit favorable. However, anything is possible in the sport of boxing. The two fighters are similar in style with the same amount of experience so it’s sure to be a delicious appetizer before a main meal. It’s hard to decide who will have the upper hand in this fight so fans better keep an eye out.
Inference
The heavyweight division may not be one of the most stacked divisions right now, but it’s still a hot division with plenty of promising talent and champions alike. This Saturday will not only mark a fresh start with the ascension of a new unified champion, but it will also set a straight path to some of the division’s future biggest games.
