Via William Lloyd: Chris Algieri says he will take advantage of the holes in Conor Benn’s match that he saw as he prepared for their battle this Saturday night, December 11 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. .
Former WBO lightweight champion Algieri (25-3, 9 KOs) weighed 146 pounds Friday at the weigh-in and looked in excellent shape with no signs of weight.
As for undefeated A-side boxer Benn (19-0.13 KOs), he weighs 146.8 lbs and looks a bit underpowered for Algieri.
This fight is essential for Algieri and Benn as the winner can get a well-paid world title.
For Algieri, 37, this will be a great time for him as it could be his last chance to put himself in a position to fight for a world title.
Algieri wants to surrender about Benn’s flaws
Chris didn’t say what those holes in Conor Benn’s game are that he plans to take advantage of, but he will likely use movement and force him at times.
Benn looked like he couldn’t afford to cut through the ring against Adrian Granados in his final match in September. Neither his footwork nor his ability to predict where Granados would be inside the squared circle came up.
Benn’s father, Nigel Benn, was excellent at cutting through the ring against his mobile opponents, but his son was not endowed with the same ability.
Chris Algieri said to Boxing in the match in his duel with Benn on Saturday. “As for him and his style, his age and where he is in his career, I really see a lot of myself in him when I was younger.
“I used the word, ‘try up’ earlier in an interview and I didn’t mean to be disrespectful [to describe Conor Benn]. That’s what you were when you were young. You will give it. He’s hungry and he wants a big fight, so here we are.
“It is possible, and that is part of the reason why we are in this fight. He has holes that we can take advantage of and we see them, and that’s where experience will play a role,” Algieri said of the flaws he saw in Benn’s game.
“That’s going to be the whole fight,” Algieri said when asked if he needed to be ‘tricky’ to defeat Conor Benn. “I will have to use my trick bag.
“I had to dig deep and find the holes we were talking about and make it work to the best of my ability and knowledge.
Algeria wants “big fight”
“I have, but I want a big fight,” Algieri said when asked if he wanted to win the world title again. “I was a world champion, I was a world champion, and I will always be a world champion.
“I think I have a few big battles left and I want to get the biggest battles I can,” Algieri said. “So this war, we accepted this, and it was a calculated risk because this could get me into those big wars.
“I never lost at 140; I’m still undefeated. And I’m a world champion, and I’ve dropped out of the weight class, and I’ve been told that I’m not going to be stripped [by the WBO], and I should be able to go back and protect it, which obviously doesn’t happen. I was stripped fighting Pacquiao [in 2014].
“So I still have unfinished business at 140. 1000%,” Algieri said when asked if he was motivated to get back to 140 given he has never lost in that weight class. . “I’ve never lost my title and I still feel like a world champion,” Algieri said.
Fighting Conor Benn is a big one for Algieri, but he may be looking at how much he can earn challenging champions Errol Spence Jr. or Terence Crawford.
Beating Benn may not be a significant victory for Algieri to be awarded the title against Spence or Crawford unless he beats 24-year-old Benn spectacularly.
Defeating Conor pushes Algieri into great battles
Algieri believes a win over undefeated Benn will open the door to other big games at 140 and 147. He says he wants to fight for the world title again, and apparently, there will be money to play against one of the following champions:
- Errol Spence Jr
- Terence Crawford
- Yordenis Ugas
- Josh Taylor
“I think I’m back in the picture,” Algieri said when asked if the win over Conor Benn would put him back in shape for the big games. “This is a big war and another reason why we are in this war.
“I think a big win here will push us into big skirmishes at 147 or 140. I’m open to one of two opportunities,” said Algieri. “Of course, winning is winning, but if it plays out in a spectacular fashion then great. It’s all about winning.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do in my career and to be here now is another tick,” Algieri said of the England game. “The fans here are great. They understand boxing.
“So I think the exposure to the new market is really huge for me. I’m used to that in a lot of ways, but not too fond of being in someone’s backyard,” Algieri said while fighting in a lion’s den on Saturday night at Echo Arena in Liverpool.
“The perception and the story was told before the screening, the script was being written, but I never paid attention to that.
“I built a lot of momentum in the fight with Tommy Coyle on the muscle of Joshua and Ruiz. I had three fights that year [2019], and then through the circumstances, I was pushed back a little bit, and then the pandemic hit.
So six months turned into two years. It’s good to be back up and running. Getting two games this year is great,” said Algieri.
Even if Algieri doesn’t win a title against either of the champions following Saturday’s win over Benn, a well-paid rematch with him is possible.
A rematch with Amir Khan or a fight with Kell Brook could deliver victory for Algieri, and that will be exciting for fans and likely to pay off well.
Matchroom Boxing won’t let Algieri lose its win over Benn if it doesn’t prepare for a rematch. Benn is too popular that he can’t avenge a loss, and it would be bad if Algieri was allowed to go away with a win without even making an effort to retrace.
