'When you're talking Vergil Ortiz Jr, you're talking savage' - Conor Benn gives his take on Michael McKinson's upcoming American showdown - and is not overly optimistic on Portsmouth fighter's chances

And despite Benn revealing he feels Ortiz Jr is '99-and-a-half per cent' certain to extend his perfect professional record to 19-0 when they meet, he is hoping his fellow English fighter can cause a huge upset on March 19.

Benn expressed his concerns over the calibre of opponent McKinson has previously faced in his unblemished 21-0 pro career as he prepares to step in the ring with a possible 'pound-for-pound' star of the future in Ortiz Jr.

McKinson heads to the States on the back of his biggest career wins over the previously unbeaten Chris Kongo and Poland's Przemyslaw Runowski last year.

But Benn, son of former two-weight world champion Nigel and one of Britain's current leading welterweight hopes, stressed the Pompey Problem will be stepping onto an entirely different stage when he gets in the ring to face one of the leading prospects in the division in Ortiz Jr.

And Benn believes everything will be stacked against McKinson on his big American fight debut. When quizzed on whether he felt it was a 'good fight' during an iFL TV - YouTube, his response told its own story: ‘I don't know about really good fight.’

He continued: ‘You say you don't know what's going to happen, 100 per cent carry ratio from Vergil Ortiz (Jr) is a tell-tell sign what's 99-and-half per cent that is likely to happen again.

‘The only thing I worry about - I hope McKinson wins - the only thing I worry about is there's no measuring stick as to who he's (Mikey) fought to do comparisons to world-level opponents.

‘His opponents, his best wins are against Kongo (Chris) who beat Luther Clay, which wasn't a great fight, and he beat Runowski (Przemyslaw), who Josh Kelly beat with ease, so when you do the comparisons to world level - there is none.

‘When you're talking Vergil Ortiz, you're talking a savage, you're talking someone who, in my opinion, can potentially be pound-for-pound and wants Crawford (Terence), Spence (Errol Jr) and to move up. I even fancy him a little bit now against some of the likes of those names.

‘It's a hard fight, it's a ballsy move, fair play to him for taking the fight - massive risk - but it's a win-win situation, if he gives him a tough fight, it's a win-win.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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