Conor Benn faces Chris van Heerden in Manchester tonight
(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)Conor Benn fights Chris van Heerden in Manchester tonight as he plots his route to welterweight stardom.
Saturday’s bout is set to be his last test before Eddie Hearn plans to accelerate his development against the best that one of boxing’s most stacked classes has to offer, with Kell Brook now firmly in ‘The Destroyer’s’ sights.
Benn - son of former two-division world champion Nigel Benn - continued his march towards a world title in Liverpool in December, when he followed up contrasting wins over Samuel Vargas and Adrian Granados with a dominant knockout of veteran Chris Algieri.
The undefeated 25-year-old - now 20-0 as a professional with 13 KOs to his name - will also be confident of making another statement against Van Heerden on the same night as Errol Spence Jr and Yordenis Ugas clash in a huge welterweight unification contest in Texas.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW BENN VS VAN HEERDEN LIVE
An experienced southpaw from South Africa, Van Heerden turns 35 in June and has not fought since December 2020, when his IBO title meeting with the fearsome rising star Jaron Ennis was called off in the first round and ruled a no contest after he sustained a nasty cut from an accidental clash of heads, having been put under huge pressure from the opening bell.
‘The Heat’ had previously reeled off five successive wins since suffering the only stoppage of his career in an emphatic defeat by then-rising star Spence in Toronto in September 2015.
Van Heerden’s only other pro defeat came at the hands of Nikola Stevanovic in 2010, while he reigned as IBO welterweight world champion from 2011-13, defending against the likes of Matthew Hatton.
Saturday’s undercard features an eagerly-anticipated rematch between Chris Billam-Smith and Tommy McCarthy for the European cruiserweight title, while Alycia Baumgardner makes the first defence of her WBC and IBO super-featherweight titles won from Terri Harper against Edith Soledad Matthysse of Argentina.
Campbell Hatton - son of British boxing great Ricky Hatton - also competes in his seventh pro bout against another Argentine in Ezequiel Gregores.
Benn vs Van Heerden date, start time, venue and ring walks
Benn vs Van Heerden takes place tonight on Saturday April 16, 2022 at the AO Arena in Manchester.
The undercard is due to begin at 7pm BST, with ring walks for the main event expected at 10pm.
As ever, these times are subject to change depending on the length of the undercard bouts.
Benn vs Van Heerden fight card/undercard in full
Conor Benn vs Chris van Heerden
Chris Billam-Smith vs Tommy McCarthy
Alycia Baumgardner vs Edith Soledad Matthysse
Jack Cullen vs Vladimir Belujsky
Campbell Hatton vs Ezequiel Gregores
Jordan Thompson vs Mariano Angel Gudino
Cyrus Pattinson vs Alexey Tukhtarov
Thomas Whittaker Hart vs Ben Ridings
Luke Evans vs Miguel Cesario Antin
James Metcalf vs Evgenii Vazem
How to watch Benn vs Van Heerden
TV channel: Benn vs Van Heerden is being broadcast live tonight on sports video streaming service DAZN. A subscription to DAZN currently costs £7.99 a month in the UK.
The service can be viewed on smart TVs in addition to other devices such as computers, mobiles, gaming consoles and tablets.
Live stream: You can also follow all the action as it happens with Standard Sport’s live fight night blog, which will have coverage of the whole card.
Benn vs Van Heerden fight prediction
Benn was back to his destructive best against Algieri, having previously followed up that vicious 80-second blitz of Vargas with a far more understated points win over Granados in Leeds in which he was often frustrated but was at least able to get some key rounds under his belt.
Another statement surely beckons here as he prepares for a big step up in future, possibly against the likes of Brook or Adrien Broner.
Former world champion Van Heerden - the first southpaw Benn has faced in his pro career to date - certainly isn’t short on experience or confidence, having dismissed his rival as a pure “power puncher” and an inferior boxing technician who relies too much on anger and emotion inside the ring.
However, he seems unlikely to stop the ascent of a future global superstar.
Benn to win via knockout in round seven.
Benn vs Van Heerden weigh-in
Friday’s weigh-in took place at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester.
Benn tipped the scales at 146.5lbs, with Van Heerden slightly lighter at 145.8lbs. The welterweight limit is 147lbs.
Benn vs Van Heerden betting odds
Benn to win: 1/20
Van Heerden to win: 17/2
Draw: 33/1
Benn to win via decision/technical decision: 23/10
Benn to win via KO, TKO or DQ: 4/9
Van Heerden to win via decision/technical decision: 22/1
Van Heerden to win via KO, TKO or DQ: 12/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
