Conor Benn next fight: 5 opponents he could face including Kell Brook and Danny Garcia
Conor Benn made short work of Chris van Heerden on Saturday night before he was seen celebrating with his promoter Eddie Hearn.
Benn, the son of British boxing legend Nigel, dominated the bout at the AO Arena in Manchester, although Van Heerden somehow stayed on his feet after the first couple of exchanges.
But it was all over a few moments later as referee Steve Gray was forced to stop the fight after the South African failed to beat the count in the second round.
The win leaves Benn with a 21-0 (14 KO) record overall.
Matchroom chief Hearn believes the future is bright for the top British prospect and named a host of fighters his young charge could potentially face off against in the future.
Speaking to DAZN, Hearn said: “He’s going to go on and become a world champion, now we’ve got to step up the opposition.
“He’s had a great development. [Samuel] Vargas, [Adrian] Granados, [Chris] Algieri, Van Heerden. Now it’s time for the more serious players of the division.
“It won’t be Amir Khan, he won’t be around until the end of the year. It’s going to be Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, David Avanesyan.
“We want a marquee fight. We want to take him back to London and fight at that beautiful O2.
“It’s a brilliant journey, he’s a superstar and he’s really, really good. We would take a lot of these guys. It’s time for a serious test this summer.”
So, what’s next for the 25-year-old? Here, GiveMeSport looks at five potential opponents for his next fight.
Adrien Broner
Once close friends with Floyd Mayweather, Adrien Broner has done little to harm his bad boy reputation having had several brushes with the law over the years.
The American, who is a few years older than the Englishman, has not fought since his win over Jovanie Santiago in February 2021.
But at the very least he is at least another name for Benn to add to his impressive CV.
Kell Brook
Benn has also been rumoured to meet British rival Kell Brook for years only for their representatives to fail to agree on a deal.
Brook, 35, turned back the clock to put on a career-best performance against Amir Khan in February – showing he certainly isn’t past his sell-buy date.
But with Brook currently signed to a rival promoter in Ben Shalom, it remains to be seen if that fight can be made before the end of the year.
Danny Garcia
With big name value and experience to boot, Danny Garcia seems like an obvious choice.
However, it’s worth pointing out that Khan once thought the exact same thing himself, only to come up rather short.
Would that be a risk worth taking? Hearn certainly seems to think so in any case.
Mikey Garcia
Like Danny, Mikey Garcia (no relation) may not get the credit he deserves, but he has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Despite the American’s struggles as of late, Garcia would be a huge obstacle to clear on the path to winning a world title.
Born in Oxnard but now based in Los Angeles, the 34-year-old has only lost to Sandor Martin and Errol Spence Jr, two current world champions, on points.
Keith Thurman
If not Garcia, Hearn has suggested Keith Thurman could get the nod instead after he made a comeback earlier this year.
His loss to Manny Pacquiao notwithstanding, Thurman has been in the ring with some of the best out there, and more often than not got his hand raised on the night.
A win over Thurman would set Benn up rather nicely for a title shot against Spence Jr next year.