Conor Benn wants Keith Thurman in 2022 for the WBC 147 lb title eliminator to become the mandatory for the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Yordenis Ugas winner. Conor wants to take the former WBA/WBC 147-lb champion Thurman’s pelt and fight for a world title at the end of the year.
Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) says he’ll fight Maurice Hooker next, then Adrien Broner, followed by Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) for the WBC welterweight title eliminator.
It’ll be interesting to see Thurman’s reaction after learning that Benn is targeting him.
Conor Benn wants world title shot in 2022
Will Thurman be receptive to a lucrative fight with Benn, or will he choose to face another fighter in the same mold as Mario Barrios?
The 25-year-old Benn is ranked #5 WBA, #7 IBF, and #7 WBC, and he feels he’s ready to challenge for a world title right now. For the time being, Benn wants three more fights before fighting for a world title.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has made an offer to the former WBO140-lb champion ‘Mighty Mo’ Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), and he’s waiting to hear back from them so he can get the deal wrapped up for Conor.
As for the 33-year-old ‘One Time’ Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs), he’s facing former WBA light welterweight champion Mario Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) on February 5th in Las Vegas.
This is the first fight for Thurman in over two and a half years. That fight is said to be a WBC welterweight title eliminator, but even if it isn’t, Thurman-Benn will surely be an eliminator.
“I think Keith Thurman is going to beat Barrios,” said Conor Benn to Boxing Social. “It’s a final eliminator for the WBC.
“Yeah, it’s the second fight of this year and final eliminator for the WBC,” said Benn on wanting to fight Thurman. “I want a world title this year. That’s the plan.
“It’s been six years coming, and I really believe I can win it this year. I’m top five in every governing body. That’s it; it’s enough; I could fight for a world title right now if I held up, wait for Ugas-Spence, wait for Thurman-Barrios.
“It could happen now. I want a couple of more fights. I let the team do the planning. My job is to train hard and beat the geezers up. I’m delivering, and they’re delivering. When you’re doing that, you make the perfect team,” said Benn.
It seems like a complete waste of time on Benn’s part for him to devote energy to facing Adrien Broner after the Maurice Hooker fight in April.
Unless the idea is to make money off the Broner fight, there’s no need for this fight, as it’s arguably a step down in class for Benn from Hooker.
Conor putting the welterweight division on notice
Broner has been a shot fighter since 2012, and he has nothing left in the tank at 32. He says he wants a tune-up, but it’s not going to change anything. ‘The Problem’ Broner is done mentally and physically. Taking a tune-up or two won’t reverse the aging and wear & tear from a long professional career.
“Spence,” said Benn in predicting Errol Spence Jr. to beat Yordenis Ugas in their welterweight world title eliminator in April. “Too big, it could be a late stoppage for Spence,” said Conor.
“I want to take this opportunity to officially put the welterweight division on notice for 2022,” said Conor Benn in a statement.
If Benn puts the welterweight division on notice for 2022, he needs to stop-fighting older guys that make him look silly.
Benn doesn’t seem to realize how bad he’ll look if he faces Broner or 38-year-old Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero, as those guys are over-the-hill.