“Maybe 14 months out of the ring played a factor. That’d be the only thing. Just maybe inactivity.” That’s what Conor Benn told The Guardian, with a lot of mixed emotions, after losing to his long-time family rival, Chris Eubank Jr., last night. An entire crowd of 62,000 people at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London had witnessed Eubank Jr, the IBO middleweight champ, emerge victorious by unanimous decision after a complete 12-round non-title bout.

When the scorecards read 116-112 from all three judges at the ringside, The Destroyer felt like he had let so many people down, tasting his first defeat in the ring. From his perspective, it was a close fight. From moving up two weight classes, setting up a 10-pound rehydration clause, and requesting a smaller (18ft by 18ft) ring to claiming that he’d broken Jr.’s jaw in the fight, Benn seemingly did the best he could to continue his father, Nigel Benn’s, legacy. Only nothing worked.

To some, even in loss, Benn has become a star in British boxing after this historic clash. And if considered, it was indeed his first fight against someone who’s naturally bigger than him. Still, he stood strong during the entire match. So, while he broods over what he could have done better to defeat his arch-nemesis, he’s already at a crossroads for future opportunities. There are multiple potential future opponents he could go for next. But who are they? We’re here to explore those possibilities that may come next for the 28-year-old boxer.

A rematch with Chris Eubank Jr.

“I didn’t come into the fight thinking it would be that close. I didn’t come into the fight to lose…for anything apart from winning. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough, so I need to do better… I want revenge, man. I want my revenge. I think inactivity played a big part,” Conor Benn had said in the post-fight interview, pointing out that if a rematch was up, he’d gladly take the chance to do better than last night.

Turns out, there indeed is a rematch clause in the contract for Benn-Eubank, as Turki Alalshikh mentioned before the fight. But what does Conor Benn want? Well, he’s got a couple of things in mind. “I believe I can fight at 160,” Benn told The Guardian confidently. “If we don’t do the rematch, which I’d love to avenge that loss, I’d go back down to welterweight and win the WBC world title,” the 28-year-old replied.

“So, it’s either [WBC welterweight champion] Mario Barrios or the rematch with Eubank Jr. Whichever happens next, I’ll be content with.”  With both options open, Benn seems to be more interested in the rematch. Since he already knows what it’s like to fight at middleweight. The way he gave his highest performance, it’s natural for him to want to find out if he can push himself more to avenge his loss. But it looks like his promoter is against the rematch.

Conor Benn conquering the welterweight division

In the same post-fight interview, Eddie Hearn, Benn’s promoter from Matchroom, was asked if the rehydration clause that was there in this match should be removed in the rematch. To that, Hearn had replied, “I think [Eubank] Junior should come down a little bit lower. Rather than Conor Benn coming up two weight classes.” That statement was just Hearn solidifying that if there were to be a rematch, Jr. would need to agree to even more terms than he did for this fight.

“No one ever said, apart from his [Eubank Jr’s] dad—‘Do you think it’s dangerous for Conor Benn to be moving up two [weight] divisions and fighting someone the size of Eubank?’… For me, the danger was not for Chris Eubank Jr. The danger was for Conor Benn. And that is why we have to think very carefully about the rematch. Because I don’t want to see him [Benn] in too many fights like that,” Hearn added, referencing when Eubank Sr. wanted the fight to be canceled because it was a danger to Benn, fighting against his son, who is heavier at 160 lbs.

Proving his point, he continued, “It’s all very well, us sitting there and go ‘Wow what a fight, let’s do it again!’ They’re the kind of fights that will shorten your career. He’s got such a long career ahead of him.” So, considering the concern Hearn has for Conor Benn’s career, it’s unlikely that he’d prefer a rematch for his fighter.

With Jaron Boots Ennis wanting to unify the welterweight title and looking to move up in divisions, chances are that the world title belts will be available for Conor Benn to conquer. And that’s what Hearn wants him to do next, too—move back to welterweight. Probably even fight WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios.

Quest for the WBC welterweight title

Now that the Eubank Jr. fight is done, looking back, one can tell who the next opponent for Benn could be. In an interview with Sky Sports, Benn had said on April 23, just days before his fight, “Obviously I had the WBC world title ready there for me to take against [Mario] Barrios, which is still the plan after I knock Eubank out.” 

So, he’s explicitly hinted at the matchup once. And that makes it likely that he would want to turn towards that goal next. According to BBC Sport, after the Eubank Jr. fight, Benn called out Barrios for a potential matchup next. “Do I avenge the loss [from Eubank Jr.], or drop down [to welterweight] and win the WBC world title? If [Mario] Barrios is watching, I’d love that,” he said.

So this is also an option Benn can consider. Because he’s already ranked 3rd with the WBC, which makes him eligible to challenge Barrios for a shot at the world title. Or, he can decide to move up in weight class, but not suddenly to middleweight.

A sharp turn towards light middleweight

Since we’re exploring the number of possibilities that Benn has for his future in boxing, this one could be one of them, too. In the last fight, just yesterday, against Eubank Jr, Benn weighed 156.5 lbs. That weight is close to the limit of the light middleweight division at 154 lbs. If Benn is comfortable at his new weight now, he might as well continue with the same.

Even before this, at light middleweight, Conor Benn won against Rodolfo Orozco (weighing 153.5 lbs.) in September 2023 and Peter Dobson (weighing 150.5 lbs.) in February 2024. However, as of now, he hasn’t mentioned making this move. Therefore, no assumptions can be made regarding this at the moment.

But one thing is clear. Losing to Eubank Jr. has surely taken a toll on Benn. And, sure, he’d want to avenge the loss. But, as Eddie Hearn says, it might not be the right time to rematch Jr. at middleweight again. The most likely opponent for Conor Benn then awaits in his previous weight class, welterweight. What do you think? Will Conor Benn choose to fight Mario Barrios next? Or would the fire for avenging against Eubank Jr. take over?