Conor Benn hinted that he’s interested in fighting recently dethroned super middleweight undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, saying that he’d “go to 168.” Obviously, the only reason Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) would go up to 168 is to collect untold riches fighting Canelo or newly crowned four-belt champion Terence Crawford.
Avoiding the Real Killers
What Benn is not likely to do is go up to 168 to fight the top contenders, Lester Martinez, Osleys Iglesias, Christian Mbilli, or Diego Pacheco, to earn a fight against Canelo or ‘Bud’ Crawford. It’s a much different kettle of fish facing those fighters than the weight-depleted, cadavar-esque 36-year-old Chris Eubank Jr.
Even with the double whammy of a 10-lb rehydration clause and Eubank Jr. fighting one division below his normal 168-lb division, Benn barely beat him last Saturday night in London, winning a 12-round unanimous decision.
‘If It Makes Sense’ Code
“Listen, I’ll go to 168 if it’s right. As long as it’s right, as long as it makes sense, I’ll fight anybody,” said Conor Benn to InsideRingShow when asked if he’d return to 154 to fight. “I’m a fighter. I’m a modern-day gladiator.
The “as long as it makes sense” part is code for the fight needing to be well-paying for Benn to go up to 168 to fight. Canelo would be crazy to agree to a fight against Benn right now, as the backlash he would receive would be tremendous.
Turki-Level Payday Fantasy
Crawford likely wouldn’t take that fight either unless Turki Alalshikh offered him an absurd amount of dough, like he did with the $50 million he received for fighting Canelo on September 13, 2025. The performance Crawford turned in was that of a prelim fighter in terms of entertainment value.
Who Benn Should Really Fight Next
Benn needs to return to 147 and try his luck against one of the champions. Ideally, he should work his way up the rankings to earn a title shot instead of having it given to him. He hasn’t fought at welterweight since 2022. So, he doesn’t deserve to fight for a world title. Let him fight Jack Catterall or Karen Chukhadzhian next to get pushed up the rankings.
“I do not care about another man with two arms and two legs. If it makes sense, it can happen. If the public wants it, it can happen,” said Benn.