Eddie Hearn says his phone “lit up like a slot machine” when Conor Benn and Shakur Stevenson messaged him within minutes of each other on Tuesday, both saying they’re ready to fight each other next. Benn had just fired a social-media challenge asking the unbeaten American, “Do it next?”; Stevenson immediately replied he’d meet him at 147 lbs if a Gervonta Davis bout can’t be secured.
First, each must clear a summer hurdle. Stevenson defends his WBC lightweight crown against Mexican volume-machine William Zepeda on 12 July at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, while Benn is pencilled in for a Saudi-backed grudge rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. on 27 September. Both events are Matchroom promotions streamed by DAZN.
Weight is the wildcard. Benn’s last two contests were above welter; Stevenson hasn’t boxed north of 135. Hearn says a catch-weight “around 147” is realistic, though Benn’s camp believe Shakur’s star power makes a 154-lb clash viable, especially after Stevenson labelled the Brit “easy work for big money.”
For Stevenson, Benn offers the richest purse outside Tank Davis; for Benn, toppling a pound-for-pound talent would erase April’s defeat to Eubank and fast-track a welterweight title shot. “After July and September, we’ll make it happen,” Hearn promised, adding that Saudi and U.K. venues are already under discussion for early 2026.
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Image Credit: DAZN