Conor Benn defeated former world champion Regis Prograis on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s comeback bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning a unanimous decision of 98-92 on all three judges’ scorecards. Prograis announced his retirement shortly after the fight.
Benn returned to the site where he beat Chris Eubank Jr, dropping to a 150lb catchweight after his two middleweight contests with Eubank. Prograis, a talented two-time super-lightweight world champion moving up in weight, still posed problems with his craft, landing his left to the head and working to the body. Head clashes opened cuts for Benn, adding to his challenges.
Despite that, Benn’s youth and pressure carried him through. He swung freely with hooks and drove punches into Prograis’ trunk. Benn staggered Prograis with a one-two on the bell in the first round and continued to land a right cross through the centre as the fight went on. Prograis’ left cross rocked Benn in the seventh, but Benn answered by driving Prograis back with his own right. Early in the ninth Benn pressed with jabs, landed a long right hook to the ribs and followed with a pair of lead lefts.
As the bout closed out, Prograis relied on resilience—he had been beaten only by top fighters like Josh Taylor, Devin Haney and Jack Catterall, and he again lasted the distance. With cuts bleeding, Benn chopped right and left hooks to Prograis’ chin, but the American absorbed the shots to finish the 10 rounds.
On the same card, Richard Riakporhe became a two-time British champion, stopping Jeamie TKV in the fifth round. TKV, the defending champion after beating Frazer Clarke last year, pressured and crowded Riakporhe early and was deducted a point for leading with his head. Riakporhe landed a heavy right that sent TKV to his knees, then finished with a sequence of powerful punches and a toss before the referee halted the contest at 2:12 of round five. Riakporhe said he wants to keep knocking opponents out and eyeing world-title opportunities, naming the potential Wardley vs Dubois winner and calling out Johnny Fisher for future fights.
Justis Huni edged Frazer Clarke on a majority decision over 10 rounds. One judge scored it 95-95, while the other two had Huni 96-94. Clarke earned credit for his performance after a tough loss in his previous fight; he boxed with assurance from the centre and pressured at times. Huni’s hand speed and a well-timed right cross and uppercut in later rounds made the difference, and he finished the fight on the move. Clarke’s showing was a positive step under new trainer Joe Gallagher.