Conor Benn next fight: 'The Destroyer' to fight for European title on July 31

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By Tom Ward

Published May 4, 2021

Conor Benn has been booked to fight in July

Conor Benn will return to the ring to fight for the European title on July 31 against an unnamed opponent.

Britain's hottest boxing prospect Benn (18-0, 12 KOs) maintained his unbeaten record by battering Colombian boxer Samuel Vargas from pillar to post at the Copperbox Arena in London in April.

Benn's promoter Eddie Hearn is now believed to be mulling over plans for the 24-year-old's next fight as he plots a potential super-fight with Amir Khan at some point later this year and he told Sky Sports last month that the all-British blockbuster bout "is probably one of the easiest fights to sell."

Benn, the son of British boxing legend Nigel, passed his most recent test with flying colours after the referee called a stop to the contest at 1:20 of the first round in his main event against Vargas.

And "The Destroyer" says he doesn't care who he faces when he makes his highly-anticipated return to the ring.

He said to Sky Sports: "Start putting respect on my name I'm putting the Benn name where it belongs - back at the top. No-one had banged him [Vargas] out in a round. Easy, easy.

"Give me a proper test, give me Amir Khan. He's too busy messing about with reality shows.

"I can live with this hype. I'm ready for the top dogs, I want them, I want to test myself. I was expecting a hard fight."

While it seems Khan is apparently unwilling to take a fight with Benn, Florian Marku is one welterweight prepared to take the risk.

"Conor has a glass chin. Since Peynaud, they haven't chosen anyone who can hit. From that day, they chose carefully because Conor can't take a hit to the head," Marku said.

"When I hit Conor clean? He and his team know I hit hard because they have heard about my sparring. All of my opponents were guys that can hit. They all hit hard. Conor chooses only bad opponents.

"We have good names in the UK - Chris Jenkins, Chris Kongo, Michael McKinson - who were calling him out but he never put his name on the line because he is scared.

"Why did he choose Formella from Germany? He had zero power. Vargas? Because he knows he is 90 per cent likely to win. They choose opponents carefully."

Both Benn and Marku have become embroiled in a war of words over who would come out best in a battle of wills.

As it stands, a fight with Khan is unlikely to happen next, so a Marku clash might be the best option for the Greenwich-born warrior.

Making a statement against the Albanian would almost certainly put him at the front of the queue for a shot at either Khan or Kell Brook, depending on what they do with their careers.