Boxing
Conor Benn names world champion he will target after Chris Eubank Jr rematch
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Conor Benn is eyeing a world title bout at welterweight after his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr, with Mario Barrios his preferred target over Lewis Crocker.
A Matchroom Boxing stablemate of Benn's, Crocker earned the vacant IBF welterweight title last weekend with victory over Paddy Donovan at Windsor Park. The Northern Irishman has made it clear that he would be willing to fight Benn, stating: "I'll fight Conor Benn anywhere.”
But rather than face a fellow UK fighter, Benn would prefer to take on WBC champion Barrios, with family legacy again a major driving force for the London-born fighter after his father, Nigel Benn, won the super middleweight version of the WBC world title in 1992 and made nine successful defences of the belt.
Benn told The Ring: “Crocker ain’t the target. Barrios is.
“His belt has got my name on it. The WBC world title is the belt I want. I will go over to America and beat the champion and bring that belt back with me.
“I’m not overly concerned about Crocker. He’s got a title but that WBC title is the one that means most to me. I’ve got it hanging up in my gym already because it was the one my dad won.
“That belt means everything to me so now I want my own one to add to our family collection."
Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Still ranked at number four and number five by the WBC and WBO in the sanctioning bodies’ welterweight ratings, Benn will compete at middleweight for a second time against Eubank Jr.
However, aside from exacting revenge for the defeat suffered in April, Benn has no intention of fighting at 160lbs. Eubank Jr and Benn resume their feud at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, November 15, live on DAZN.
He continued: “There’s not a long-term career for me in this weight class.
“I’m definitely not a middleweight and I’ll be dropping straight down. We are just over eight weeks away from fight night and I’m currently under the middleweight limit right now. I’m weighing about 156 pounds at the moment.
“I’ve only gone up so I could get the chance to smash up Eubank but my business will be at welterweight after that.”
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