Just four days removed from his win over Chris Eubank Jr., Conor Benn already has his next target in sight. Or rather, targets.
Immediately following Benn’s lopsided unanimous decision victory over Eubank in their highly-anticipated rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this past Saturday, the callouts began. Ryan Garcia, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, WBO welterweight champ Brian Norman Jr. and IBF titlist Lewis Crocker were among those to throw their names in the hat for a potential showdown with Benn.
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Benn revealed his plans to Uncrowned’s «The Ariel Helwani Show» on Wednesday — and he had a different target in mind.
«[I’ll go] back down to 147 [pounds], definitely,» Benn said. «I don’t know how long I’ve got to make 147, so ideally we go straight into the biggest 147 fight we can make. … That’s [Mario] Barrios.»
Benn initially named WBC welterweight champion Barrios as his prime target, but upon being shown a recent back-and-forth between himself and Garcia on social media, he swiftly changed his focus.
I don’t play games or waffle like you yanks do when I say let’s go I mean let’s gooooo . Me v you next I’ll sign immediately and rest assure I’ll knock you clean out. https://t.co/makN00f5iT
— Conor Nigel Benn (@ConorNigel) November 18, 2025
«Yeah, you’re right [Garcia is the biggest fight],» Benn admitted. «Just seeing [those] tweets, definitely Ryan. … I’ve changed my mind. Just seeing it infuriates me.»
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«I just think he’s an idiot and I’d love to knock him out in front of 65,000, 70,000 here in London,» Benn continued. «I feel like me and Ryan will make for a great fight. I feel like I’m at my most dangerous at 147. Especially mixing it with the bigger guys, I feel a lot stronger. If Rolly Romero put him down, who’s a great fighter as well, I would definitely — I feel like I’m a lot more explosive than Rolly, a lot more accurate and reactive and very triggering, very sharp. I feel like I would do some damage.»
«I’ve instructed [Benn’s manager] Keith Connolly and Lee [Emptage, Benn’s lawyer] to make the Ryan Garcia fight. If that doesn’t materialize, then cool, no problem — Barrios. Those are the two people on my hit list. Ryan Garcia would be a mega-fight, and no doubt, I believe I knock him out. At 147, I’m at my most dangerous for sure. That’s where all my highlight-reel knockouts have come.»
As the conversation continued, Benn appeared to lean toward Garcia being the front-runner and Barrios being the backup plan, although his father, British legend Nigel Benn — who won world titles in two weight classes in the 1990s — disagreed. The boxing Hall of Famer made it clear that he’d prefer to see Conor emulate his world title achievements rather than chase Garcia in a big-money, non-title bout.
«He’s always wanted the WBC [belt],» Nigel said. «So I don’t think money should get in [the way]. Money is always going to follow him, it’s not going to go nowhere. I think me personally, alright, he might not make the same amount of money [to fight Barrios], but having that strap around your waist [means more], so when he retires, he can always say, ‘I’ve done it. I reached the top.'»
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While Garcia and Barrios are the ideal next opponents for Benn, they could both soon be ruled out. Golden Boy headman Oscar De La Hoya confirmed during the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin DAZN broadcast earlier this month that he is working on a Barrios vs. Garcia pay-per-view fight next, which if made, would leave Benn searching for another foe.
Benn may have to look no further than «The Ariel Helwani Show» for his next opponent. The last time Benn appeared on program in July, he was unexpectedly joined by WBC lightweight champion Stevenson. Benn and Stevenson engaged in a respectful but entertaining debate and eventually agreed to explore a 147-pound matchup in the future.
«I actually spoke with Shakur [after the Eubank win],» Benn revealed Wednesday. «I’m not one to talk — when I talk it, I mean it.
«I spoke to him [and said], ‘Are you being serious [about fighting me]? Because if you’re being serious, we can do the fight in April, and we can do it at a stadium [in London].’ He said, ‘I’ll get [Teofimo Lopez] out of the way. I’m going to get the win for sure, and 100% we can do the fight in April in England.'»
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Stevenson is heavily rumored to be finalizing a fight with WBO super lightweight champion Lopez for Jan. 31 in New York, where a win would see Stevenson become a four-division champion. Such a win could also put a Stevenson vs. Benn fight on the cards for a major outdoor event in the UK next summer.
Back in the 1990s, there was major interest in a third fight between Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, but ultimately it never materialized. Eubank Sr. won the first bout and the second ended in a draw.
When the younger Benn avenged his own defeat to Eubank Jr. on Saturday to even the score 1-1, he was insistent that the book had been closed forever on the Benn-Eubank rivalry. He told Uncrowned that a potential Eubank trilogy bout would only materialize north of 160 pounds, likely at super middleweight (168 pounds), and Benn has no interest in even fighting as high as middleweight moving forward.
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Although Benn and Eubank still don’t see eye-to-eye, there is a newfound respect there. Eubank embraced Benn after the fight on Saturday for the first time. The pair did not share such respect after their first encounter.
«Now that the dust has settled a little bit, he’s not my type of guy, but he’s a good fighter,» Benn said his rival. «He gave me two great fights, and we made history together. But on a personal level, probably not my type of guy, no.»
