The scores were 98-92, 98-92 and 98-92.
Benn came out on top for most of the fight, but the performance was harder work than expected against a 37-year-old opponent who was fighting above his usual weight. He relied on pressure and volume, but much of it was picked up on gloves or smothered, and he struggled to land cleanly, telling shots, even though he was the bigger man at the weight. Two cuts opened over Benn’s eyes from head collisions, adding to a messy rhythm that never quite settled.
Prograis, the former two-time 140lb champion, had his moments early as he let Benn come in and land counters, especially when he stood his ground and forced exchanges. His movement dropped as the rounds went on, and there were signs he was physically compromised, but he continued to find pockets to land and remained competitive in stretches even while giving up size.
As the fight wore on, Benn kept up the pace, but he was unable to break down Prograis or force a decisive round. Even in the later rounds, when the pace had to separate them, the difference came more from activity than from clean, damaging work. Benn finished the fight on the front foot, but without the kind of impact that would have removed any doubt.
The decision went on the cards, but the performance left questions. Against an older opponent dealing with physical limitations, Benn labored and failed to impose himself in a manner expected of a fighter looking at the top names at 147. On this show, he didn’t look like the level set by the top fighters in that weight class or even some of the stronger names a division below.
