THE RESULT: To watch the first couple of rounds of Conor Benn vs. Pete Dobson, you would be forgiven for thinking Benn would stop his American opponent in the first half of what appeared to be a woeful mismatch. However, to Dobson’s immense credit, the unknown from The Bronx made a real fight of it in the end and, despite lacking speed, and despite being inactive for almost two years, still managed to give Benn a few problems en route to an ultimately lopsided decision loss (by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110).
KEY MOMENTS: There were plenty of flashy right hands and left hooks landed by Benn throughout, as well as some good work with his left jab to the body. Yet the most eye-catching of all the shots landed in this 12-round super-welterweight fight were a series of rights Dobson pulled off in the fifth. The first right, which he landed with Benn against the ropes, appeared to buckle Benn’s legs and have him try to play down the impact of the shot by showboating (usually a tell-tale sign). This was then followed by two more right hands a little later, the second of which definitely had Benn unsteady and keen to hold.
RECORDS: Benn, 27, stays unbeaten and is now 23-0 (14), whereas Dobson, 33, loses his undefeated record and falls to 16-1 (9).
TALKING POINT: The truth is, despite Benn’s newfound infamy and his fan-pleasing style, this will not be a fight or event people will be talking about for very long. The fight itself meant not a lot beforehand, hence why it landed in a Las Vegas ballroom at lunchtime, and the fact it also clashed tonight with Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez, a far superior fight on Sky Sports, reduced its appeal even more so.
Still, if really looking for a talking point, one suspects it will be this: Benn, despite going 12 rounds for the first time as a pro, failed again to stop his opponent and had to settle for a decision. This would be no cause for concern if the Londoner had continued to increase his level of competition following recent out-of-ring problems, but, if anything, his level of opposition has dropped since then and Benn finds himself in tune-up fights he would be expecting – and hoping – to win more decisively.
QUOTABLE: “I was in cruise control,” said Benn. “I’ve had harder spars, but it was good work. I always gun for the first round. If I’ve got an opening, I take it. I don’t miss when I shoot. But he was tough and still standing. He was in there to survive really. I was a bit disappointed.”
“You can always do better. I’ll go back and assess and no doubt I’ll be disappointed with things I’ve done. But overall this is about me getting back to where I was mentally. The dream now is to fight back home. Once all this (his ongoing performance-enhancing drug issue) is cleared up, I’ll feel brand new. It’s still lingering in the back of my head and I just want to get back to destroying people.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: With Benn reluctant to name his ideal next opponent, it was left to his promoter Eddie Hearn to do it instead. “I’m baffled by Chris Eubank Jnr,” he said before explaining his frustration at Eubank Jnr playing hard to get. He then said, “The plan is to fill any stadium or arena in the UK. We know domestic fights like Eubank, Liam Smith and Kell Brook sell out anywhere. We’re looking at April or May and I want to deliver him the biggest fight I can.”