Can Peter Dobson cause a major upset? Conor Benn vs Peter Dobson Preview

This weekend, British welterweight star Conor ‘The Destroyer’ Benn returns to action against undefeated American Peter Dobson, live from The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Benn will fight in the US for the second consecutive time, following his unanimous decision victory over Rodolfo Orozco in September of last year in Orlando.

The bout will take place over 12 rounds, with Benn putting his number 5 ranking with the WBC on the line. A win would certainly move him up the rankings toward a mandatory position, potentially setting up a mouthwatering contest against Undisputed champion Terence Crawford.

However, 16-0 Peter Dobson is looking to derail Conor Benn’s charge toward world championship glory.

The 33-year-old has nine stoppages in his 16 victories, with his best win being a KO of Emmanuel Medina back in 2019, who at the time hadn’t tasted defeat in a boxing ring.

Despite being a major underdog in the fight, Dobson certainly has the power to hurt Conor Benn.

Having only fought once since April of 2022 due to his failed drugs test before a monumental clash with rival Chris Eubank Jr, there could be an element of ring rust for Conor Benn, which Dobson could use to his advantage.

Benn’s previous opponent Rodolfo Orozco was much taller at 6”1 and has a history fighting in higher weight divisions, therefore was able to withstand the power of “The Destroyer”. However Dobson is similar in height and weight to Conor Benn, certainly suiting the Englishman.

Considering the proposed trajectory of Benn’s career, he will undoubtedly be looking to make a statement on Saturday night.

With Conor Benn holding a KO percentage of 63.64%, Dobson will need to be extremely careful throughout this fight, especially in the early rounds, where historically so many of Benn’s opponents have fallen due to his explosive power.

Samuel Vargas, Chris Algieri and Chris van Heerden all failed to reach the 5th round when they entered the ring with Conor Benn.

FIGHT PREDICTION: Conor Benn certainly needs to reaffirm his status in the 147lbs division, It’s expected that he will start incredibly fast. Rounds 1 and 2 will be where Dobson is the most vulnerable. If Dobson can resist the early storm then I can see Benn taking a wide unanimous points decision win. However Benn is a tremendous pressure fighter, he will undoubtedly push for the win inside the distance. I believe Conor Benn will stop Peter Dobson in rounds 1-3. 

 In the UK, the fight will be shown Live on DAZN, however despite taking place in Las Vegas, ring walks will be at 10:30pm UK time.