By: Sean Crose
Conor Benn may not be able to fight in his British homeland, but that’s not keeping him from squaring off against the relatively unknown Peter Dobson in Las Vegas. Although the welterweight battle will go down late in the afternoon on Saturday in order to to be seen in the evening in Great Britain, the scheduled 12 round affair should at least serve as a showcase for the undefeated Benn’s skill set. “He fights because he has no choice,” Benn said of Dobson at a final press conference.
Indeed, Benn came across as if he boxes out of endearment for the sport. “I fight because I love to fight, that’s the difference. If he was in my shoes, he wouldn’t be a fighter. I choose to do this; I live and breathe this. So, keep that energy, he’s been trolling for months, keep shaking. You will find out what green is on Saturday. I promise you.” The truth is that it will behoove Benn to not only win, but to perform well on Saturday. His recent issues stemming from testing positive for a banned substance last year have taken a toll on the 27 year old’s reputation. Benn, however, spoke confidently at the press conference.
“I’m coming out there and I’m going to come straight to him,” he said. “Meet him in the middle. We’ll have a shoot-out, no problem, the more I talk the more he shakes. I’m coming for the knockout. This luxury kid that lives a privileged life, I’m coming out there to wipe you out, I swear on my life. I’m going in to take your head off your shoulders. He’s mad delusional, I like his confidence, the loudest one if the weakest one in the room.” Suffice to say, Dobson engaged in some tough talk himself.
“I’ve been overlooked my whole career,” he said. “Why do you think the last two Matchroom guys didn’t want to fight me? Because they did their homework. These guys obviously didn’t do their homework and he’s going to see. You will see why I can’t get fights, why promoters constantly tell me ‘This guy doesn’t want to fight you’. Do your homework. It’s been a long time coming, I’m an old land mine that’s been waiting to blow up for a long damn time.” An upset win in Vegas this weekend might well be as positive for Dobson as it would be disastrous for Benn.
