Conor Benn beat former world champion Regis Prograis by unanimous decision on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s comeback at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with all three judges scoring the 10-round fight 98-92. Prograis announced his retirement shortly after the contest.
Benn returned to the venue where he previously defeated Chris Eubank Jr, fighting at a 150lb catchweight after two middleweight outings with Eubank. Prograis, a two-time super-lightweight world champion who had moved up in weight, still demonstrated the craft that made him a top contender, landing left hands to the head and working the body. Clashes of heads opened cuts on Benn during the fight, adding to his challenges.
Despite those issues, Benn’s youth, pressure and physicality carried the night. He swung freely with hooks and drove punches to Prograis’ midsection throughout. Benn staggered Prograis with a one-two as the bell sounded to end the first round and continued to land a telling right cross through the centre as the fight progressed. Prograis rocked Benn with a left cross in the seventh, but Benn answered by forcing him 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.
Prograis relied on resilience and experience to survive—he had only lost previously to elite fighters such as Josh Taylor, Devin Haney and Jack Catterall—and he again went the distance. With cuts bleeding, Benn continued to chop right and left hooks to Prograis’ chin, but the American absorbed the shots and finished the 10 rounds.
On the same card, Richard Riakporhe became a two-time British champion, stopping Jeamie TKV in the fifth round. TKV, who had taken the title from 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 followed with a sequence of power punches and a toss before the referee halted the contest at 2:12 of round five. Afterward Riakporhe said he wants to keep scoring stoppages and is eyeing world-title opportunities, naming the eventual Wardley vs Dubois winner as a potential target and calling out Johnny Fisher.
In another main bout, Justis Huni edged Frazer Clarke via majority decision over 10 rounds, with one judge scoring it 95-95 and the other two 96-94 to Huni. Clarke earned credit for his performance after a tough loss in his previous fight, boxing confidently from the centre and applying pressure at times. Huni’s hand speed and a well-timed right cross and uppercut in the later rounds swung the fight in his favour; he finished on the move. Clarke’s showing was viewed as a positive step under new trainer Joe Gallagher.