Conor Benn is only focusing on the world scene despite admitting that he would have loved to have fought for the Lonsdale belt. The Essex fighter, one of boxing’s bright hopes, faces Chris van Heerden this weekend as he looks to make an emphatic statement before continuing is climb up the welterweight rankings.
The fight, being shown exclusively live on DAZN, is the latest in Benn’s rapid development from novice professional to legitimate contender. Since 2020, Benn’s progress has seen him make light work out of the likes of Sebastian Formella and Chris Algieri with those guiding his career bypassing the traditional title route and installing him in multiple governing body ratings.
With the British belt currently being held by Ekow Essuman, Benn is undoubtedly operating at a higher class than domestic level. Although a number of intriguing fights are possible pitting Benn against a fellow Brit, the 25-year old’s focus is on bigger prizes as he looks to make a significant leap in 2022.
“It would’ve been nice for me to win the British title,” said Benn during a sit-down with DAZN ahead of his battle with Van Heerden. “It was a belt I wanted for the family as my dad never got the chance to win it so it’s not like I’ve disregarded the British scene at all. That belt would've meant a lot to me and my dad so of course it would've been nice to win.
“There was the chance to sort a fight out with Chris Jenkins a couple years back but that didn’t come off and when the Formella fight was made, that put me on a different path altogether. You can see now that I’m heading towards world level with the names I'm fighting and the way I’m beating them. A British title would've been nice, but the goal was always a world title and I’m getting very close to that.”