Conor Benn has been asked to jump straight into a world title fight, albeit against a champion who appears to have slipped under his radar.
Exactly a week ago, the 29-year-old took revenge on bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr after losing their first meeting by unanimous decision in April.
This time around, it appeared that a more measured performance had contributed to a drastic turn of events, which ultimately exposed Eubank as a seriously exhausted version of himself.
A combination of his age and a not-so-friendly encounter with the scales appeared to give the 36-year-old a lack of stamina in their middleweight rematch.
Benn, for his part, managed to stick to his game plan and even scored two knockdowns in the final round, before securing a big victory on points.
Then, shortly after raising his hand, the Ilford man redoubled his desire to cut weight and pursue the world champions at 147lb.
More specifically, Benn has set his sights on Mario Barrios, the WBC welterweight champion, who is instead expected to face Ryan Garcia next February.
IBF champion Lewis Crocker, who is unsure why he didn’t receive a mention, called out Benn immediately after his points victory over Paddy Donovan in September.
Crocker insisted on Matchroom Boxing’s Flash Knockdown podcast that a potential clash with Benn is unlikely to go beyond five rounds.
“He mentioned the other champions, and I just don’t know how that doesn’t make sense for me and him to [fight]. It would be total war.
I just think a fight like that – me and Benn – it’s just [going to be] foot by foot. I don’t think it goes beyond five rounds.
I think it’s just more for the fans. We both wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we’re both going to go out there and put it all on the line.
[We’re] two big punchers, so it will definitely be pure fireworks from the start.
