Khalil Coe will face a hard-punching opponent Saturday who owns a 20-0 record, including 18 knockouts, as part of the Conor Benn-Peter Dobson undercard.
Coe contends that it is Gerardo Osuna, not him, that will take a step up in opposition, though. Coe has less than half of Osuna’s professional experience, yet the light heavyweight prospect from Newark, New Jersey knows that the 23-year-old Osuna’s record has been built against a relatively low level of opposition, including 10 opponents who had losing records when they fought the strong, young Mexican.
Coe (7-0-1, 5 KOs), who was an accomplished amateur, nevertheless expects to make “a crazy statement” against an opponent who clearly can punch. DAZN will stream Coe-Osuna from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“I don’t really like to underestimate anybody,” Coe told BoxingScene.com, “but I feel like I’m the more experienced fighter overall, regardless of how many fights he has. You know, I’ve seen different styles from all over the world, different countries, so I’m pretty much hip to whatever he’s gonna bring. He’s at a point right now where he thinks that he’s gonna walk through me, in a way, considering his record.
“He’s looking at me like, ‘This guy, he’s new.’ But this is definitely gonna be a breakout fight for me. I’m looking to make a crazy statement. I’m definitely setting the tone. For whoever’s fighting after me, it’s gonna be hard. I got some crazy things I been working on, I’m in crazy shape, you know, and I’m ready to get it on.”
The 27-year-old Coe, who is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, has won six straight fights since he stunningly settled for a four-round majority draw with Aaron Casper (then 6-4-1) in November 2021 at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. Coe has won each of his past three bouts by knockout, but he wants 2024 to be the year that he fights legitimate light heavyweight contenders and enhances his name recognition within the 175-pound division.
“I want them to know I’m a player on the chess board,” Coe said. “I want them to recognize that I’m here, and when they speak on who’s in the division, my name comes up. I want ‘em to know they gotta look out for me. They gotta know that, ‘All right, at any moment I can be fighting Khalil.’ So, make sure you training the best you can for me, because Imma do the same thing. I want people to know I put in a lotta work to get to where I’m at. I want them to know no matter what the record is, I’m willing to take that chance.”
DAZN’s coverage of this show is scheduled to begin with preliminary undercard action at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. GMT). The 10-round main event, a welterweight bout between England’s Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) and the Bronx’s Dobson (16-0, 9 KOs), will start at approximately 2:30 p.m. PT (5:30 p.m. ET; 10:30 p.m. GMT) to accommodate the viewing audience in the United Kingdom.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.