Don’t expect to see Conor Benn against the top talents of the welterweight division anytime soon.
The hard-hitting British welterweight and son of famed boxer Nigel Benn recently offered an in-depth explanation why intriguing fights that people have been on his case about – for example, against Vergil Ortiz, Jaron Ennis, and Errol Spence Jr. – won’t happen until Benn feels that he has hit his absolute prime.
As Benn explains it, he believes he has the tools to fight – and win against such fighters at the present moment. But given the way he has been improving, Benn, following a philosophy of saving the best for last, suggests that these high-profile match-ups are better preserved for the future.
“It’s got nothing to do with whether I’m ready or not,” Benn told Boxing Social. “For as long as I’m progressing the way I’m progressing, why are they going to throw me in when I haven’t even reached my full potential yet? I haven’t got to. So why am I going to? It’s not that the hard fights don’t come.”
Benn, who is promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, has full trust that his handlers will steer him the right way. So far, he believes that they have. Benn, 25, showed his class last year with dominant wins over Samuel Vargas (31-7-2, 14 KOs), Adrian Granados (21-9-3, 15 KOs), and Chris Algieri (25-4, 9 KOs). Hearn recently announced Benn’s next bout could be against former 140-pound titleholder Maurice Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) of Dallas, Texas. Robert Guerrero (37-6-1, 20 KOs) and Adrien Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) have been other names that have been thrown around by Hearn as potential opponents for Benn.
“I can see what my team are doing,” Benn said. “Look at how I progressed from the [Sebastian] Formella fight [in 2020] to the Algieri. The Granados to the Algieri. The Vargas to the Algieri. So, while we're progressing that quick, if the growth is that quick, why not wait until you know I’m there? The likes of Vergil Ortiz, the Jaron Ennises…the creme de la creme, the Errol Spences, the [Yordenis] Ugas – I’ll fight Ugas now – I get it. And the public should get.
“Allow your fighters to have as many fights as they can. We’re not conning the public. We’re not, you know, fooling the people for this or that. I’m gonna wait until I reach my full potential.
“For as long as I’m still growing, as long as I’m still going, I ain’t in no hurry. At all. Why? What is the hurry? Will I fight Vergil Ortiz? One million percent I will. Will I fight Jaron Ennis? One million percent I will. Errol Spence, Ugas, Thurman? One million percent – when the timing is right for me.”
Of course, there are political stumbling blocks to consider as well. All the fighters that Benn named are aligned with different promotional entities, and they rarely work together on a consistent basis.
Benn is hopeful the fights will happen – just not now, but later, one he has reached his peak as a fighter.
“I pride myself,” Benn said. “I work extremely hard, so when the fight is ready to be made, the fights will get made. It’s not a matter of I’m not ready now, but why make the Vergil Ortiz fight, a 10 times harder fight, an easier fight for him now, so to speak, or an easier fight for me, while I’m still learning?
“I’ll wait until I [reach the peak of my abilities]. You’ll know. You’ll see. You see the progress. The proof is in the pudding. Every time I step out there, I put on a clinical performance, better than the last.”
