Conor Benn has revealed that he has held initials with WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson over a potential bout at a UK venue in April.
Conor Benn's long-standing rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr has undoubtedly consumed him in more recent years, both physically and mentally. Moving up two weight clashes to make the eagerly anticipated bout, he suffered a unanimous decision defeat in a thrilling 12-round scrap back in April 2025.
He avenged his defeat when returning to fight Eubank Jr at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 15th November however, winning via unanimous decision in a surprisingly dominant performance.
He has since emphasised his wish to return to 147lbs, and with potential opponents Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios set to lock horns in February, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has emerged as a potential candidate.
Benn elaborated on a potential clash when speaking to Ariel Helwani. He said:
“I spoke to Shakur yesterday and said to him: “Are you being serious? Because if you’re being serious we can do the fight in April and we can do it at a stadium here (in the UK).’
He said: ‘I’ll get Teo (Teofimo Lopez) out the way. I’m going to get the win for sure and 100% we can do the fight in April in England.’
- Conor Benn (interview with Ariel Helwani)
“The reality is, I’ll make the fight happen. I will make them happen. I’ll tell Eddie (Hearn): ‘This is what we’re doing, let’s make the fight.’
“The same with the Eubank (Jr) thing, I come up to 160lbs. You’ve got to remember, I built up to 160lbs but I was a 147lbs (fighter) when I agreed the fight.
“I’m willing to fight anyone.”
While we're yet to receive an official announcement for Shakur Stevenson vs Teofimo Lopez, it's rumoured that the fight will take place on 31st January, 2026, for Lopez's WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight straps.
After fighting Lopez at 140lbs in January, he'd likely have to come up to Benn's preferred welterweight in April.
Stevenson currently holds the WBC strap in the lightweight division, and so a fight against Benn at welterweight would see him jump up two weight classes from what he's currently operating at, similarly to when Benn jumped from 147lbs to 160lbs to facilitate a fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
While we're by no means close to an announcement for Benn vs Stevenson, with the American set to take on Lopez beforehand, discussions are certainly in the works and it's one to keep an eye on in the not-too-distant future.
