All the details you need to watch the Conor Benn vs Samuel Vargas title fight
BBN have provided viewers with all the details needed to tune in and watch 'The Destroyer' Conor Benn (17-0, 12KOs) vs Samuel Vargas (31-6-2, 14KOs) on the 100th day of the year.
How to watch Benn-Vargas and all the details you need below:
Date
The bout takes place on Saturday, April 10, which is the same day in history that the Titanic set sail from Southampton on it's ill-fated voyage.
Venue
The SSE Arena, Wembley, London.
Rounds scheduled
12 three-minute rounds at welterweight (147lbs).
Titles
Benn's WBA Continental welterweight title is on the line, which he has held since July 2018 and defended three times – to Jussi Koivula; Steve Jamoye; and Sebastian Formella.
Ringwalks
The ringwalks for the main event are expected from 10pm UK time, but that will depend on the undercard results.
TV Coverage
Coverage starts live on the Sky Sports Boxing Facebook Page from 6pm, then Sky Sports Action (Sky Channel 407) from 7pm and finishes at 11pm.
It's also shown on DAZN in the US and everywhere except for the UK, Ireland and Australia, and you can sign up here
Live Stream
You can watch online via the Sky Sports website here: https://www.skysports.com/watch
BBN are providing LIVE updates on the night HERE
Price
The event is free to view for Sky Sports and DAZN subscribers.
Undercard Highlights
Despite lots of talk about the WBA World Female title fight between Watford's Shannon Courtenay and Australia's Ebanie Bridges, the main undercard highlight for boxing fans will be Kash Farooq (14-1, 6KOs) vs Alexander Espinoza (20-2-2, 8KOs) for the WBC International Silver bantamweight title.
Stylish Scotsman Farooq, called 'Untouchable' for good reason, is the dangerous challenger to the Nicaraguan champion's WBC strap. The 28-year-old 'Supernova' travels to the UK to fight for the first time. The only time he fought outside of his native Nicaragua resulted in a very narrow split decision defeat to the fast-rising, then-unbeaten, Mikhail Aloyan, who is now a world title contender and current holder of the WBA Gold super-flyweight title, so he clearly travels well, which means the talented Farooq will need to be at his very best on the night.
Betting Odds Supplied by Star Sports
1/25 Kash Farooq
9/1 Alexander Espinoza
33/1 Draw
Related Articles
Everything you ever need to know about Benn-Vargas can be found HERE
Background
So, UK fans are familiar with the jetsetter, Samuel Vargas, who is Colombian-born and Canadian-based. It was his mother who first introduced him to boxing, at 12-years-old, after getting into fights in school for being one of only two non-speaking English students. The intervention worked and despite experiencing just a dozen amateur bouts, he turned pro at 20 and raced to 16-0 in under four years.
The Canadian national champion admitted, after his fourth-round knockout defeat to Errol Spence in 2015, that the fight was unwinnable, but he took it at 14 days notice for the money that would provide a better life for his family.
Winning the WBA-NABA belt in two different weights on several occasions meant that he reached as high as the top 10 in the World Boxing Association rankings. However, is record is currently appearing very checkered, with his form reading as D-L-W-L-W-L.
His last fight was against fast-rising welterweight sensation Vergil Ortiz Jr (17-0, 17KOs), who very recently KO'd former world champion Maurice Hooker (27-2-3, 18KOs) in round seven of their WBO International title fight. Vargas was also despatched in round seven of their WBA Gold welterweight title contest in July 2020.
Conor Benn has emerged from the shadows of his famous father, Nigel, who retired as a two-weight world champion with an 83% KO ratio.
After overlooking Luxembourg champion Cedrick Peynaud (then 5-4-3, 3KOs) in their first fight in 2017, where the 10-0 young prodigy found himself on the canvas twice in the opening round, he rallied back to score two knockdowns himself to even the score and survive the scare with a shaky 57-54 points victory. They rematched the following year, with Benn suitably learning from his mistakes to win widely on points to secure his first and only title, which he defends to Vargas for the fourth time – the WBA Continental welterweight title. He has since promised to never look past an opponent ever again.
This belt, with it's trio of successful defences, has seen 'The Destroyer' reach the 11th spot in the WBA standings, putting the 24-year-old from Essex in touching distance of a world title fight with Super champion Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12KOs); World champion Jamal James (27-1, 12KOs). There's also tasty prospects ahead of him in the aforementioned WBA Gold champion Vergil Ortiz Jr; there's also European welterweight champion David Avanesyan (27-3-1, 15KOs) just ahead of Benn in the seventh spot, which would be a fun fight. A win against Carl Greaves' formidable fighter would also boost Benn in the IBF ratings, currently at #14, 'Ava' is positioned fifth. However, Avanesyan loves ruining prospects' records and would likely be a harder fight than the current WBA world champions.
Since his sixth pro fight, the prospect abandoned caution and began facing winning fighters, beating two unbeaten British opponents in a row, then continued to only face winning foes thereon. His last three opponents have a combined record of 72-14-3, and includes a former IBO world champion (Formella); a national champion (Jamoye); and a European title contender (Koivula).
The jury is still out on whether Benn can challenge for world honours, but he has got himself into the position to try, and UK fight fans have all eyes on his progress in the hope that he could mount a serious assault soon. This next fight will give another glimpse into his future prospects.
Quotes
Conor Benn: “He’s an experienced fighter. He’s got tonnes of heart, grit and sheer determination that so many fighters lack. He brings the heat! This ain’t going to be a one-two lights out. It isn’t going to be one of them. This is going to be a hard fight. This is going to be me getting stuck straight in and us two going at it in there. It’s going to be one hell of a fight and that’s what I’m preparing for.
“He gave Amir Khan hell. Amir got saved by the bell and by the grace of God three or four times in that fight. He had him on the deck. I know Khan’s chin isn’t that credible but he’s a well-respected fighter. He’s achieved everything that I want to achieve in the sport. This is going to be a harder fight than people think in my opinion.
“I made the mistake once of overlooking an opponent and I hit the deck twice. I can go back to that fight because it was a career-defining moment for me. I had to ask myself how badly I wanted it. It taught me to never overlook an opponent. I thought, ‘what’s he going to do to me?’. Boom, straight one-two. That was a massive reality check for me. Since then I don’t overlook opponents.
“This is definitely going to be an entertaining fight for the public. This is going to be one that you don’t want to miss. This is going to be a steppingstone in my career. It’s going to be a massive fight. It’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a hard fight. I’m going to have to show grit, determination, hunger, skill and power – the full shebang!"
Samuel Vargas: “I have taken this fight very seriously. I had a great training camp and I worked my ass off. I’m really focused, and I can’t wait to get in there. This is professional boxing. Everyone is a threat. Everyone. Especially at this level.
“He is a strong young fighter. He’s going to come on strong. He looks physically fit all of the time. He seems very wild and makes mistakes that he has to pay for. We’ll meet in the centre of the ring and we’ll find out what he's about. I’m expecting him to come to war and that’s what I’m prepared for.
“Last time I was here in the UK I came close to closing the show but then I didn’t have enough time left in the round. This time I’m going to bring the same energy and finish the job. I'm going to give Conor a right hand from hell. That’s part of the plan, taking him into the trenches. We’ve got to break him down and take his soul. We’re going to break him down little by little. He doesn’t have the experience to handle that. He’s got to have the same energy that he has in the first round in the ninth and 10th. We’ll see about that."
Predictions
Tim Rickson,BBN Editor: “I'm expecting another improved and impressive performance from the developing Conor Benn. He showed such enhanced boxing skils and patience in his previous fight that most spectators were taken by surprise by it. I'm sure we'll be pleasantly surprised again and, if Vargas does indeed meet him in the middle for a war like he has promised to, then I can't see it going the distance, with Benn finishing the fight early when the opportunity presents itself."
Rankings
Benn: WBA #11; IBF #14; BoxRec #28
Vargas: BoxRec #93
Stats
Benn:
Age: 24
Bouts: 17
Rounds: 67
KOs: 64.71%
Height: 5' 8"
Reach: 72"
Vargas:
Age: 31
Bouts: 39
Rounds: 262
KOs: 35.9%
Height: 6' 9"
Reach: 72"
Official Weights
JOHN HEDGES: 12st 9lbs 2oz
STANKO JERMELIC: 12st 6lbs 6oz
NICK CAMPBELL: 17st 10lbs 13oz
PETR FROHLICH: 16st 2lbs 10oz
ALEXANDER ESPINOZA: 8st 5lbs 8oz
KASH FAROOQ: 8st 5lbs 0oz
SHANNON COURTENAY: 8st 5lbs 14oz
EBANIE BRIDGES: 8st 5lbs 0oz
SAVANNAH MARSHALL: 11st 5lbs 10oz
MARIA LINDBERG: 11st 0lbs 2oz
CONOR BENN: 10st 6lbs 12oz
SAMUEL VARGAS: 10st 6lbs 10oz
Betting Odds Supplied by Star Sports
1/16 Conor Benn
8/1 Samuel Vargas
22/1 Draw
Running Order
6:20pm:
#1 John Hedges vs Stanko Jermelic
4×3 Super-middleweight contest
7pm:
#2 Nick Campbell vs Petr Frohlich
6×3 Heavyweight contest
#3 Kash Farooq vs Alexander Espinoza
10×3 WBC International Silver bantamweight title
#4 Shannon Courtenay vs Ebanie Bridges
10×2 WBA World Female bantamweight title
#5 Savannah Marshall vs Maria Lindberg
10×2 WBO World Female middleweight title
10pm:
#6 – Main Event
Conor Benn vs Samuel Vargas
12×3 WBA Continental welterweight title
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