Eddie Hearn has given Conor Benn a huge incentive ahead of his upcoming title defence this weekend. He'll face a tough test when he defends his WBA Continental Welterweight Championship against South African Chris van Heerden at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night (April 16).
Benn had hoped to fight Kell Brook after the two had clashed following the latter's victory over Amir Khan in February, as well as beginning a rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr after their parents Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank had a highly-publicised feud in the 90s.
Benn remains undefeated in his 20 defeats and secured an impressive knockout win over former world champion Chris Algieri last time out in December with an overhand right leaving the former opponent of Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr down for the count. He currently holds top ten rankings with the WBA, WBO and IBF after notching three wins during a breakout 2021.
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Should Benn defeat van Heerden on Saturday night, he could be in for a fight against the aforementioned Brook or Eubank Jr, with Hearn stating that a 'mega-fight' will come his way in the future. However, he could also be in line to fight one of the stars in his division - with the likes of Terence Crawford, Spence Jr, Keith Thurman or Danny Garcia all competing for the welterweight title.
Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Hear said: "I promise you that if Conor Benn gets through Saturday night, you’re going to see him in a mega fight in the summer."
Benn has spoken of how confident he is going on to the fight. He said: "If this is right now my full potential, I’m happy, but the sky’s the limit, it really is. There is no limit to how far I can go. There is no limit to what I can achieve."
