Ben’s aggressive start to the race was rewarded in the second round
Connor Ben stopped Chris van Heardon in two rounds in a brilliant performance at Manchester Arena on Saturday.
Ben, who is already undefeated in 21 battles, was looking for a knockout from the first bell, striving forward at every opportunity in the first round.
Van Heerden survived the first round, but was sent to crash on the canvas in the second by a vicious combination.
The victory keeps Ben on his way to fighting for a world title this year.
What’s next for “The Destroyer”?
Ben invited former world champion Amir Khan to join him in the ring after the victory, but his British rival downplayed the possibility of a potential battle.
Khan, booed by the Manchester crowd, said his only focus was on spending time with his family after losing his game to Kel Brook earlier this year.
Brooke is another option for Ben, although previous calls have failed due to requests for a Special K purse.
“The next one won’t be Amir Khan,” Eddie Hearn said in the ring after the match, but the Matchroom promoter really promised Ben that he would be in a “serious battle” after that.
Is Ben ready for a world title?
Ben wants to become world champion this year
It is unclear at this time where this predicted blow to the world title may materialize.
WBO champion Terence Crawford has given no indication of his plans after parting ways with former Top Rank promoter, while in America there is a unifying clash between WBA (Super) champion Jordanis Ugas and WBC and IBF belt holder Erol Spence Jr. .
Ben will have to wait until the future of the current champions becomes clearer, but the 21st consecutive victory of the Briton still leaves many questions about his capabilities at the elite level.
Van Heardon was certainly a step down for Ben after great victories over Chris Algiers and Adrian Granados, and the South African – who has not fought since 2020 – could not fight the sharp Ben in form.
The jump from contender to world title level is quite significant and Ben is still not facing a serious contender. There is still rudeness for Ben, which creates exciting battles, but raises questions about how he would handle an experienced operator.
Van Heerden demanded a little finesse from Ben, but he was sometimes caught rushing when he dropped his shot in search of a big shot.
There’s talk of Danny Garcia and Adrian Bronner, and Ben certainly needs a battle of this caliber to prepare for what would be a huge request to dethrone as Spence Jr. or Crawford.
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