- Eddie Hearn says an offer has been made for Conor Benn to fight Mario Barrios
- The 29-nine-year-old Barrios is currently the WBC welterweight champion
- Benn would prefer to fight for the title rather than taking on Chris Eubank Jr
Eddie Hearn has revealed the fight that Conor Benn is targeting next as the controversial Brit eyes a return to the ring.
Benn failed two drugs tests in 2022, but has now been cleared to fight in the UK again after his suspension was lifted earlier this month, and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) decided not to appeal that decision this week.
A clash with Chris Eubank Jr has long been mooted for Benn after their initial fight was cancelled two years ago following his positive tests.
Hearn still expects those two Brits to get it on eventually but, speaking to IFLTV on Friday, the promotor made it clear that Benn is looking to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios next.
‘We’ve got two options,’ Hearn explained. ‘Fight Eubank or fight for the world title.
‘We’ve been back and forward with Eubank’s team – I think Frank Smith met Ben Shalom the other day for a catch-up. We’re talking but Conor wants to fight for the world title. He’s made that clear to us.
Conor Benn, pictured (left) after beating Pete Dobson in February, is eyeing a world title shot
An offer has been made by Benn’s team for a fight with WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios
Benn would prefer to face Barrios first, before taking on fellow Brit Chris Eubank Jr (pictured)
‘What I explained to him is that the Eubank fight is not a fight unfortunately – because of the stubbornness and the hate between the two – that gets made [quickly] like that.
‘And Conor’s in that kind of mood. So Conor’s saying: “Leave Eubank, we’ll fight him in the summer.
“Let’s fight for the world title. I’ll win the world title, then I’ll fight Eubank and, by the way, that fight will be even bigger.”
‘It’s a bold move because the money’s not as good to fight for a world title as it is for Eubank. But Conor’s about championships, Conor’s about legacy.
‘Financials are always there for consideration but I believe he can beat Barrios and it’s a massive fight in London.’
Asked how close he is to making a title fight happen, Hearn replied: ‘We’ve made an offer to Barrios. We’re talking to Luis de Cubas. Me and him are straight together.
‘We’ve also got, on February 22, [Jaron] Ennis, [Vergil] Ortiz. Ennis wants to unify, Barrios could be an option. Then you’ve got [Eimantas] Stanionis, [Brian] Norman.
‘We’ve got to make a decision. And yesterday was Thanksgiving, which makes it difficult to make a decision on what is effectively their Christmas Day.
‘But we are going to be making a lot of deals this afternoon.’
Promoter Eddie Hearn said on Friday: ‘Conor’s about championships, Conor’s about legacy’
Benn’s last fight was back in February when he overcame Pete Dobson by a unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
That was the 28-year-old’s 23rd professional fight and his 23rd win. Of those 23 victories, 14 have been achieved via knockout.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Barrios has won 29 of his 32 career fights – 18 by knockout. His two losses came against Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.
Barrios retained his WBC title earlier this month on the undercard of Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson when his fight with Abel Ramos was scored as a split draw (116-110 to Barrios, 114-112 to Ramos and 113-113) after both men were knocked down.
