Conor Benn got a thumbs up from a former champ as he gets ready for his big fight. Shawn Porter, who used to rule the welterweight division, sparred with Benn and liked what he saw.
Porter and Benn went three rounds in the UK. It's part of Benn's prep for his match against Chris Eubank Jr at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in less than two weeks.
After their session, Porter had lots of good things to say about Benn. He told TalkSPORT:
"What a talent man, honestly, what a talent. Getting in the ring and only being able to do three rounds today, that's not good enough for me, I embarrassed myself."
Porter didn't stop there. He added:
"He looked great, really good boxer, he's more athletic and a little faster than I knew he was. Good boxer."
This fight's a big deal. It's a grudge match between two guys whose dads were rivals. They were supposed to fight before, but it got called off when Benn failed some doping tests.
Now it's back on, and it's one of the biggest British fights of the year. Benn's moving up two weight classes for it, from 147 pounds to 160. But Porter doesn't think that'll be a problem.
"[The weight is] not a factor at all. The way I look at it, Conor will be the healthier fighter on fight night, he doesn't have to drain himself and not eat or drink the healthy things that he will need on fight night."
There's a rule that Eubank can't gain more than 10 pounds between the weigh-in and fight morning. Porter thinks that might matter:
"[The rehydration clause for Eubank] could be a factor on fight night, but it's all about how both these fighters manage their nutrition."
Porter knows his stuff. He's fought some of the best, like Errol Spence, Andrew Berto, Danny Garcia, Kell Brook, and Terence Crawford. Now he's retired, but his words carry weight.
With the fight so close, we'll see lots of Benn and Eubank in the media this week. It's all building up to their big showdown at Tottenham's stadium.
