Conor Benn destroys Chris van Heerden
British welterweight secures second-round knockout in Manchester
Conor Benn (21-0, 14KOs) moved up to 21 fights unbeaten as he stopped Chris van Heerden (28-3-1, 12KOs) inside two rounds in a scintillating performance at the Manchester Arena on Saturday, April 16.
Benn, ranked WBA #4, searched for the knockout from the first bell, surging forward at every opportunity in the first round.
South African southpaw van Heerden survived the opening round but was sent crashing to the canvas in the second by a vicious one-two combination, similar to the punches that knocked Chris Algieri out cold in December last year.
The victory keeps 25-year-old Benn on track to challenge for a world title this year.
"Whoever they put in front of me I'll deal with. I'm not fazed. I don't just talk, I back it up," Benn told BBC Radio 5 Live after the fight.
"I knew I was going to knock him out, it was just a matter of time," he added. "Easy money."
Benn invited former world champion Amir Khan to join him in the ring after the win, but his British rival played down the possibility of a potential showdown.
Khan, booed by the Manchester crowd, said his only focus was to spend time with his family after losing his grudge match against Kell Brook earlier this year.
Brook is another option for Benn, although previous talks broke down due to the purse demands of 'Special K'. Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn poured cold water on a fight with Khan but did admit it was time for Benn to step up.
"Benn is the most exciting fighter in the country right now. Now it's time for the step up this summer," Hearn said.
"He is a young man with a big future. He's demolishing guys and it's time for a step up. Like Kell Brook. That's to establish the best welterweight in Britain. I think Conor Benn is him.
"There's him, there's Danny Garcia, there's Mikey Garcia, there's Adrien Broner – there's all these elite welterweights and that's really step that's got to be taken for Conor Benn.
He added: "It's time to take off the L plates and go into an elite level."
Ahead of Benn in the WBA rankings are: #1 Eimantas Stanionis; #2 Vergeil Ortiz; #3 Jaron Ennis; #4 Keith Thurman.
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