Conor Benn is eyeing up a clash with Manny Pacquiao as he plots his boxing comeback after a tumultuous end to 2022.
The Brit had his fight with Chris Eubank Jr cancelled at the last minute when he failed a drug test, and at the time of writing has no licence to box in the UK, where all but one of his previous fights have taken place. However, he continues to insist he has proven his innocence, and his promoter Eddie Hearn appears to be working on a comeback plan for him.
Hearn was speaking on the DAZN Boxing show when he opened up about Benn's return plan, with the fighter later posting a training video with a clock emoji indicating that his comeback will come soon. During his interview, Hearn names a number of potential fights for Benn, including 44-year-old Pacquiao who recently returned for an exhibition bout against YouTuber DK Yoo.
"He's going to fight soon, but publicly we want him to be cleared," Hearn explained. "We're looking at opponents, probably late Spring. He still wants Chris Eubank Jr, Manny Pacquiao, even Terence Crawford." He had previously stated that while the promotion are keen for a tune-up fight, Benn is raring to go for a proper test.
The Brit had been making gradual steps up at welterweight prior to agreeing to a grudge fight with Eubank, although some fans and experts weren't impressed at the speed at which he was moving through the ranks. His last outing was an April against Chris Van Herdeen, with the Eubank bout scheduled for October before it was pulled days out from fight night.
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Pacquiao recently claimed that he would consider returning to the professional ranks less than two years after he hung up his gloves for good following a loss to Yordenis Ugas. He did obliterate DK Yoo, dropping him multiple times, but claimed heading into the bout that he would be willing to fight the likes of Crawford or Errol Spence.
“Of course I can fight Terrence Crawford or [Errol] Spence. I’m eager to fight with them to test them, to see if they’re really a champion,” Pacquaio told FightHype. “I’ve been fighting a lot of boxers at 147, 140, 135, I’ve been fighting one of the greatest boxers in the world. So, I want to test them to fight with me.”
Asked if he were surprised that the pair have been unable to make a fight happen, Pacquiao replied: “Yeah, but I don’t know what the reason is. But, I’m still here. Even though I was retired for more than a year, I keep on working and playing basketball, workout almost every day.”
