Sulaiman Says Conor Benn Is Eligible To Fight For The WBC Welterweight Title; Could Challenge Barrios-Pacquiao Winner

Will Conor Benn face bitter domestic rival Chris Eubank Jr next, this in a rematch of their quite superb April showdown, or will he go another route? In terms of what that other route could be, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman recently told Sky Sports that Benn, who is currently ranked #3 in the WBC welterweight rankings, is “eligible” to fight for the green belt at the weight.

We all know who will be duking it out with the WBC 147 pound belt on the line next month, and that’s defending champ Mario Barrios and a comebacking Manny Pacquiao. And like a few other fighters, quite a few in fact, Benn likes the idea of fighting the winner.

Could Benn skip the rematch and jump into a world title shot?

It could prove to be Eubank Jr-Benn II next instead, we will have to wait and see. But Sulaiman says that if Benn did fight the Barrios-Pacquiao winner, it could “be one of the great fights of the year.”

Of course, if Pacquiao actually manages to defeat the much younger Barrios, the next fight the living legend would take after that could be a real monster. Might we see a Pacquiao-Benn fight some time in 2026?

Eubank Jr, Pacquiao, or a WBC title shot – what’s Benn’s best move?

“He is ranked by the WBC, Eubank is also, in different weight categories,” Sulaiman said. “It is up to him [Benn], right now if he’s doing a rematch, then he’s not going to challenge for the [WBC welterweight] title for some time but he’s eligible. He lost outside of his division in a highly competitive dramatic, great fight so he is absolutely ranked in a high place. The WBC rankings are by merit. There are fighters who lose and can still advance in the rankings. [Benn] is right there. He’s No3 ranked. He has all the merits and he has the level to bid for the WBC title at any stage. If he doesn’t fight the rematch and he’s available and ready, then that could be one of the great fights of this year.”

It’s funny sometimes how things work out in boxing. Benn lost to Eubank Jr, but he now finds himself in a better spot, with the rematch AND a possible fight for the WBC title open to him (although there is some talk that Eubank Jr could hit the jackpot and maybe get a fight with Canelo next year). Which route does Benn, 23-1(14) choose to go down here?