- 22 hours ago
Benn looking to show he is the real deal at Welterweight
09/04/2026
The Pelligon, London, UK
09/04/2026
The Pelligon, London, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Look, look, they ain't paying me enough, right, so y'all can start the shit all y'all want, I
00:04know I said I ain't gonna click out, but they, y'all not paying me to promote and all that
00:08shit, so look, I'm not, I ain't gotta go talk shit and all that, like, Conor, you getting paid, you
00:12talk the shit, I ain't gotta talk shit, go ahead.
00:14I'm not, I'm not gonna say anything that you haven't said, I'm just gonna mention that you said Conor wasn't
00:18a world-class fighter, do you still actually believe there is a golfing class, you've had that experience, you've won
00:23those world titles.
00:24I mean, it's like this, I just feel like, I'm not gonna say he's not world-class, he's not, he
00:28hasn't proven himself world-class yet, you know, I did, I've been number one in the world twice, I've been
00:32a world champion twice already, so I've been to that top, I'm not gonna say he's not, but he hasn't
00:36been yet, that's all.
00:37Okay, okay, it's all very friendly up here, you've made the trip to England twice in the past, unsuccessfully, you
00:45didn't get the result either time, but what have you learned from those experienced fights in front of those British
00:50boxing fight fans, and how are you confident that this fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11th ends
00:56differently?
00:56Um, I mean, for me, as far as coming with the, I mean, the British fans are great, bro, like,
01:01I don't, I don't have no problem fighting in front of British fans, because they love boxing, so I feel
01:06like it's, I mean, it's not my country, but at the same time, it is, I won't say it's my
01:10country, it's not my home, but at the same time, they embrace boxing, just like, they love us, so, I'm
01:14cool with it.
01:15Rich, we've spoken to a few people on this stage about the enormity, the size of this Ring Magazine card
01:21on Netflix, you know, going out to tens, hundreds of millions of homes across the world, do you understand the
01:29scale of that opportunity, and getting the win, what do you want next?
01:33Um, after this, I mean, I feel like it'll be what I want, you know, I can say what I
01:37want, I can tell, I can call anybody who I want, and tell them what I want, after a fight
01:40like this, like, alright, I don't have to, I don't have to, um, people won't have to come to me
01:45or opportunities, I'll come to them, and that's how it'll be.
01:47Seeing as everyone's being very nice on this stage, say some nice things about Conor, what does he do well
01:52that you are going to have to deal with on fight night?
01:54I don't got nothing to say, bad or good, I mean, look, we're going to fight Saturday, and that's it,
01:59that's all that's going to be, you know?
02:02We know Conor fights with a ferocious pace, you know, last time out it was a bit more measured, but
02:06we know that he has that Ben DNA in him, are you, you've got what it takes to, to nullify
02:11that, to neutralize it?
02:12I mean, of course, bro, I told you, I've been, I've been at the top twice, I've been a world
02:16champion twice already, of course, I got, I got, yeah, I wouldn't take, I wouldn't take this fight if I
02:20don't believe I can win it.
02:22There's been some claims that this camp hasn't gone as well, you know, from the, from the world's media, those
02:27sat in attendance, that you were injured, you know, would like to put
02:30paid to some of those rumors, what version of it?
02:32I'm not injured, bro, listen, in camp, things happen, you're not going to be 100% in camp, but I
02:36push past it, I'm not injured, everything is fine, I don't even, for me, I don't even know where it
02:40came from, but whatever, I'm good, I'm fighting on Saturday.
02:44You're fighting on Saturday, you're going to be a 100%?
02:47100% I'm fighting on, I'm good, 100%, I'm fighting on Saturday, 100%, yes.
02:51This run, at this age, at this stage of your career, you still believe you can climb to the top
02:56again, and become three-time wardrobe?
02:59Of course, yeah, I mean, like I said, bro, I wouldn't even be here, if I didn't believe myself, I
03:02wouldn't even came, I wouldn't even took the fight, I wouldn't even come over here if I didn't believe myself,
03:06I fully believe myself, I'm, I do feel like I'm actually getting better, but, you know, we'll see, sadly.
03:12Regis Pro Grey, everybody.
03:13Regis Pro Grey, now, what of the man opposing you on Saturday night, Britain's most talked-about fighter, I would
03:21say, a welterweight contender, intent on reaching the very, very top corner bend, but I'm going to start off with
03:27your dad, Nigel.
03:29Nigel is one of the most explosive fighters of his generation, a two-weight world champion, a man who was
03:34at the heart of one of Britain's biggest boxing rivalries, so, Nigel, you know better than anybody what it takes
03:40to carry that bend name into a big fight.
03:42How proud are you of the way that Conor has carried himself in these times?
03:48When Conor first started off, I thought he might, you know, just might scrape through being Southern Area champion, but
03:55I've watched him progress, progress, even the way that he trains is like 10 times better than what I've ever
04:03done, even when I was world champion.
04:07He just brought it to another level.
04:08When I watch him train, I've never in my entire life seen anyone train like my son.
04:13He lives for boxing.
04:16Regis had said he's being very nice now, but he had said that this is levels, and that he's been
04:20at the top, and Conor's still trying to get there.
04:22How would you respond to that?
04:23Well, you know what?
04:24Conor's continued to grow.
04:26We saw the first fight with Eubanks.
04:28He went in there to try and take his head off, didn't work to plan, and then we boxed to
04:33his ability, what he's capable of doing, and he made the fight so easy.
04:37And we still haven't seen the best of Conor.
04:40And watching him now, how I see him back down at welterweight, and everyone said he's going to struggle at
04:46the weight.
04:47He is more stronger now and faster than at his normal weight.
04:51I just can't wait for him to fight.
04:54How good is it to see the levels in which you thought he might struggle to become a southerner?
04:58Now he's filling out stadiums back-to-back on huge ring cards.
05:02You know, he's finishing off a...
05:04I know his capability.
05:06I know Conor's capability, and I honestly believe in my heart that he can be undisputed welterweight champion.
05:13I believe that.
05:15I believe he can beat Ryan Garcia.
05:18I believe that he can beat Crocker as well.
05:20I believe Conor's got the tools to do it.
05:23We ain't seen the best of Conor yet.
05:25To me, he's only just starting now.
05:29Well, if he's just starting now, he's already come a long, long way.
05:33Now to speak to Tony Sims, trainer of Conor Benn, a man who's been instrumental in Conor's development from prospect
05:40now to contender.
05:43Regis is a two-time world champion, experienced, dangerous, proven at world level.
05:47So what are the biggest challenges that this man brings?
05:52Yeah, like you say, he's been two-time world champion.
05:56You know, he's a great fighter.
05:58He's boxed over here a couple of times, and I was at them shows.
06:01And, you know, it's a good test for Conor at this stage of his career.
06:06And obviously Conor's mandatory challenger for Ryan Garcia, so he needs these sort of challenges.
06:12And, you know, the camp's gone really well, and I'm really happy he's down at welterweight, at his natural weight.
06:20And I think it's going to be a great fight Saturday night.
06:25It's going to be a fantastic fight, two very, very experienced and elite operators.
06:30What does Conor have to do to deal with that experience that Regis brings?
06:35Well, you know, I believe Conor's a world-class fighter himself.
06:39And, obviously, I believe that he's got the tools to beat Regis.
06:44And, you know, the sparring's gone really well, and he's looked fantastic in the gym.
06:50And I just believe Saturday night he's going to be victorious.
06:56No doubt.
06:56Now, Conor, it's time to let you speak for yourself.
06:59Don't let everyone else do the speaking for you.
07:01Yeah, yeah.
07:01In the second fight against Chris Ubrang, we saw a more patient, measured, disciplined side to you.
07:07You boxed to a clear plan and showed a lot of maturity.
07:10I think you surprised a few people there.
07:12Should fans see that same approach, or are we going to get that ferocious bend that we've seen earlier on
07:17in your career?
07:18Yeah, do you know what?
07:19I had to go back and lick my wounds.
07:20I was, you know, I went back, I cried after the first Ubrang loss.
07:24I come back, lick my wounds, and come back better.
07:27You know, it's only a loss if you let it be you.
07:30I had to change, I had to adapt, I had to learn, I had to grow.
07:33So, I had to become a better fighter to beat Ubrang and not fight the same kind of fight.
07:38And that was what I'd done.
07:40And as for this fight, you're going to get the old welterweight bend back.
07:44You know, the performances with Algieri, Van Heerden, Samuel Vargas, they were more experienced, all of them.
07:51Been in with Virgil Ortiz, been in with, you know, Amir Khan, been in with Errol Spence.
07:56You know, so everyone I fight now will have more experience on me, that's inevitable, you know.
08:02But ultimately, I prepare hard and I work so hard, even to get this weight down, you know.
08:08And being, walking around at 175 for the past two, three years, to fight Ubrang, you know, to drop back
08:16down.
08:16You know, a lot of people said I couldn't do it, well, I've done it.
08:19You know, a lot of people say you can't do this, you can't do that, well, watch me, I'll do
08:22it.
08:22Amen.
08:23Amen.
08:23Well, I can't wait to watch it, and if we're getting that version of Gunnar Ben, the Netflix viewers are
08:29going to be in for an absolute trick.
08:31It's the weight I've been most dangerous out of my whole career.
08:34You know, ultimately, the Eubank fight was an exception to the rule.
08:38I could not give the public any other fight than the Eubank fight.
08:43So I still don't think even winning a world title will trump the victory over Eubank.
08:49I still don't think winning a world title will beat the fight of the year.
08:53For me, the first fight was the best fight.
08:55It was the most enjoyable fight.
08:58But it's now time for me to come back down to my natural weight.
09:01People say I can't do it, I've done it.
09:04And get that world title and solidify my legacy.
09:07But ultimately, Regis is my world title shot.
09:09He is in the way of my world title.
09:12You know, it was the first name that was mentioned to me, and it was straight away, yeah, of course,
09:16no problem.
09:17When?
09:17Six weeks?
09:18No problem.
09:19I'll be ready.
09:20There was never any doubt.
09:21No doubt.
09:22Listen, talking of that natural weight and you feeling ferocious, it has been four years since your last knockout victory.
09:28You were seconds away from getting one against Chris Eubank Jr.
09:32Does that drive you?
09:33Does that go into your mindset?
09:34I know how you think.
09:35You're a violent man in the nicest possible way.
09:38In the nicest possible way, I'm extremely violent and dangerous.
09:42But ultimately, for me, you've got to remember, I've been competing at a weight that's not my weight for the
09:47past two, three years.
09:48You know, fighting at 154, fighting at 160.
09:51It's not my weight.
09:52These are big guys that I've been mixing it with.
09:54So for me to fight somebody my own size for a change, it's exciting.
09:59And at the weight, I'm most dangerous.
10:01Talking to somebody your own size, where does Regis Progre rank in terms of kind of name, value, his achievements?
10:08Is he the most accomplished boxer you've faced?
10:10I don't know how Giri is a world champion.
10:13I believe Van Heden was a world champion.
10:15Eubank, interim champion at middleweight.
10:18You know, Eubank had a lot of knockouts on his resume at middleweight.
10:23But Regis presents different tests.
10:27You know, and as fighters, we love challenges.
10:29I love challenging myself against the best fighters there are.
10:32You know, but if it's a name that is mentioned to me, of course, no problem.
10:35I fight him any day of the week, twice on Sunday.
10:38So when they mention Regis, I said, yeah, no problem.
10:41Instantly.
10:42You know, ultimately, I'm mandatory for Garcia for the WBC world title.
10:46It was a matter of do I wait to fight Garcia or do I fight Regis in between?
10:51You know, and that's a risk I'm willing to run.
10:55You know, I believe I win convincingly.
10:57Yes, he is world level.
10:59Yes, he has accomplished a lot in the game.
11:01But anyone I fight moving forward will be more accomplished, will have achieved more, will be more experienced.
11:07And it's my job to go in there and prove that I am at that level, which I will do
11:11without a shadow of a doubt in my mind.
11:13How much does that motivate you, that idea that you can fight those guys, like Garcia with a WBC worldweight
11:20champion, on big stages like this?
11:23Because I know you like the violence.
11:25Yeah, I mean, listen, a lot of people have been asking me about Garcia.
11:28A lot of people have been asking me about the future.
11:31That future doesn't happen unless I handle business on Saturday.
11:35So everyone asking me about Garcia and mandatory.
11:38And yes, that's a mega fight.
11:39Yes, it's a monstrous fight.
11:40Yes, I believe I take care of Garcia.
11:42But I've got my hands full on Saturday and I believe I'm going to take care of Regis.
11:48Without a shadow of a doubt.
11:49And as a fighter, you have to have that confidence.
11:51But to go up to middleweight and do what I've done for the past two years, to come back down,
11:56you know, for me, it fills me with nothing but confidence.
12:01What does Conor Ben do that Regis Prograde can't handle?
12:08I mean, I'm extremely spiteful.
12:11You know, I'm a fast star.
12:14I've come out from the get-go and really imposed myself.
12:17And listen, if I see an opportunity to close the show early, I'm going to close the show.
12:24If I see an opportunity, I'm going to take it.
12:26That's no offense to Regis.
12:28That's no disrespect to Regis.
12:29It's the way I fight.
12:30And if I see an opportunity, if I see the legs go, if I see a little chink in the
12:35armor, I'm going to exploit it.
12:38Listen, it's going to be a fantastic fight.
12:40We've had a lot of fighters up here saying they're going to steal the show.
12:43But this one definitely is in with a chance of it.
12:45Now, Conor, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about Eddie Hearn and your professional split from Eddie Hearn and
12:54Matchroom.
12:54What would you say to fans that feel you could deal with a situation, perhaps been handled differently?
13:01How important is it for you now to kind of just focus on the boxing?
13:04We'll get this out of the way.
13:06There's a lot of noise.
13:07And there has been a lot of noise throughout my career.
13:10Ultimately, I love Eddie.
13:12Period.
13:13Point blank.
13:13You know, irrelevant of what's been said, irrelevant of all the noise, irrelevant of the back and forth.
13:19I'm not here for that.
13:20I'm not here for the noise.
13:22I've got love for Eddie.
13:23You know, and I know you're smirking.
13:25I love it because I know you're smirking.
13:27But it comes with maturity.
13:28It comes with age.
13:29You know, I've done what's best for me and my family.
13:32I've secured my family's future.
13:33That, for me, is more important than anything else on the planet.
13:37And any man can respect that, you know.
13:41Ultimately, I've got love for the man.
13:43And, you know, God willing, when this is all said and done, we can sit down and have a chat
13:47together.
13:48My door's open.
13:49You know, I have no ill feeling towards Eddie, Max, and Barry.
13:53I've got love for the whole team.
13:54I've got love for the family.
13:55But, ultimately, this is about securing my family's legacy, solidifying my legacy, and making sure my kids' kids go in
14:03private school.
14:05Understandable.
14:05And boxing is a dangerous game.
14:07It's a hard game.
14:08I know firsthand it's a dangerous game.
14:11I know firsthand.
14:12I've seen it.
14:14You know, ultimately, my job is to give my family the best life possible.
14:18And now I'm going to do.
14:19I'm sure as hell going to do.
14:21Yes.
14:21And I'm doing.
14:23I remember we spoke to you in the build-up to the Eubank Jr. fight.
14:26And I said to you, I feel like this version of Conor Ben is a Conor Ben I ain't seen
14:30before.
14:30It's a lot more mature.
14:31It's a lot more measured.
14:32And I'm going to be totally honest.
14:33I didn't think I would see that version of you.
14:36But now, I also understand that being, I wouldn't say necessarily the bigger man, but being, you know, the one
14:41to open the door, to send out that kind of double piece.
14:44You've invited Eddie Hearn to come and see you before the fight.
14:47I'm not trying to be the bigger man.
14:49I mean it.
14:49It's not me trying to sit here and be, oh, you know, I'm sitting on my high horse and going
14:53to, oh, I'm not going to try and be the bigger man.
14:57It's from my heart.
14:58I mean it.
14:59I mean it.
15:01From a kid, from 19 years old, I mean it.
15:04You know, so I ain't going to sit here and talk all the talk for the cameras and the drama
15:08and this and that.
15:09Life's too short, man.
15:11And nobody's promised a tomorrow.
15:13You know, so I ain't going to sit here and have beef with nobody.
15:16Well, after everything I've been through in my life, I haven't got it in me to fight that fight no
15:20more.
15:21I'm not that guy no more.
15:23I turn over with a chip on my shoulder.
15:25I turn over just wanting to, I was angry.
15:29Just wanting, just an angry.
15:30Yeah, I was angry.
15:31I had that chip on my shoulder of, what, you think I can't do this?
15:34What, you think I can't do that?
15:36Watch me.
15:38I ain't that guy no more.
15:40But it comes with, it comes with age.
15:42It comes with experience.
15:43It comes with going through your own challenges, your own adversity, your own controversy, your own life issues.
15:49You overcome them and then you just become a better fighter.
15:52You become a better man.
15:53You become a happier man.
15:54And I'm just so grateful I'm in this position.
15:56I give all glory to God.
15:58I give all glory to God.
16:00Because this opportunity was from Him.
16:05This fight is from Him.
16:07Where I'm at now in my career is from Him.
16:09He's paved the way for me.
16:10He leads the ship.
16:11He leads the way.
16:13And I lean into my faith.
16:15I let Him direct my path.
16:17I love to hear that.
16:18I love to hear that.
16:19Now, when you and Nigel sat there, you're old and gray.
16:24What do you mean, when he's...
16:25You can't even see it these days.
16:27You look back at your career.
16:29What do you want to have achieved now?
16:30Because this is the gateway, right?
16:31This is an elite level opposition, former two-time.
16:35You've got to beat him in another stadium fight with all of the pressure, with all of the noise.
16:3910 years' time, 15 years' time, 25 years' time.
16:42What do you want to have achieved in this sport, Bob?
16:43Listen, I've achieved more than what I thought I could when I first turned pro.
16:47So, I've given a lot of people a lot of drama, a lot to talk about, a lot of controversy.
16:54I want people to go when I'm done.
16:56Core and them Benz could fight.
16:58And as long as I'm being the best version of myself, give myself every best chance.
17:03Give people, highlight real knockouts.
17:05Give people fight of the year contenders.
17:07Give people the drama.
17:09Give people a bit of excitement, a little bit of character.
17:11People invest in character more than ability.
17:14People just tune in and just watch, you know.
17:16I've lost fights, you know.
17:18I've fought one then.
17:19I'm going to, you know, lose fights.
17:22I should have won and win fights.
17:22I should have lost, you know.
17:24I pour it all in line.
17:25I just give you guys my heart.
17:27I fight with my heart on my sleeve.
17:28I give you guys everything I have.
17:30I can't do any more as a fighter than be the best version of myself so that when I turn
17:35up on the night, I'm good to go 15 rounds.
17:38I'm good to get up off the deck.
17:40I'm good to put them down on the deck.
17:41You know, I just want to give people value for money.
17:44But my career is said and done.
17:45I want the kids and the families who sit around the TV and pay a lot of money to watch
17:49me fight go, oh yeah, I remember, you know, back in the day, I used to watch you with my
17:54dad and we'd order fish and chips in.
17:56You know, and I sit with my dad and it's so humbling to see it.
18:00You know, I want people to, in 10, 15 years' time, to go, I remember how you made me feel
18:06as a kid.
18:07We got a family together to watch you fight.
18:09And that's what I want.
18:10Just give people value for money, man.
18:11And people know what they're getting when they watch the Conor Bend fight.
18:15What a way to finish.
18:17Just before we go, Keith, I just want to ask you guys, how easy is it to manage this man
18:21when he just says yes to every fight?
18:24How easy is it to manage this man when he just says yes to every fight?
18:27He wants to fight.
18:27He has the hunger for it.
18:29I mean, he's great to manage.
18:31There's nobody he won't fight.
18:33He's a global star.
18:35He's solidified himself over the last couple of fights, selling out a stadium twice.
18:39And it doesn't even get bigger than Saturday, right?
18:42Netflix, Tyson Fury, Conor Bend.
18:44And I'm predicting the fight of the night between Conor and Regis.
18:48You have a two-time former world champion, power puncher, comes to fight.
18:53Conor Bend's not going to take a backward step either.
18:55So I'm expecting a bloodbath, a knockout, and I've got to come out on top.
18:59For sure.
19:00Before we wrap up, we have one more press conference to go.
19:03Conor, how does it finish?
19:04Come Saturday.
19:05Oh, is it finished?
19:06I'm going for the stoppage, definitely.
19:08Like, this is my first impression back in, what, three years?
19:14I just want to remind people why I'm one of my most dangerous world ways out there.
19:18And I'll be going for the stoppage.
19:19As soon as I see an opportunity, I'm going to take it.
19:22Regis, finally.
19:24I'm going to go out there and shine and do my thing.
19:26No doubt about it.
19:27Thank you very, very much.
19:29That brings us to the end of our second press conference this evening.
19:32Coming up next, we'll have Tyson Fury and Arslanbeck Mahmood off.
19:35But before we move on, please, let's invite Conor Bend and Regis Progray for their official face-off.
20:09Here is the face-off until the weigh-in tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen.
20:13And once again, from New Orleans, Louisiana, 30 victories as a professional, 24 by KO, he is Regis.
20:24Rougarou Progray and his opponent, the man who has defeated every man he's faced in his career from Essex, United
20:34Kingdom.
20:35Conor, the Destroyer, Ben!
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