Mario Barrios makes the second defence of his WBC welterweight world title next month against returning Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao on July 19, though Conor Benn is eligible to challenge the prospective winner.

That's via comments given to Sky Sports by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman published this morning, as speculation over the targeted date for his proposed Chris Eubank Jr rematch continues.

September 27 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the tentatively scheduled date, though last week's Premier League fixtures being released shows that weekend is now unavailable with Spurs hosting Wolves either side of away trips to Brighton and Leeds.

In a sitdown discussion, Turki Alalshikh was asked about when the rematch would happen to conclude their two-fight deal. He said:

"In the last week of September, or first week of October. We're talking now with Tottenham Stadium, if it's not free, we will go to Wembley. Everything about it [the fight] was amazing. We prefer Tottenham but if they're not ready, we'll plan for another option."

Benn hasn't made the 147-pound welterweight limit since a second-round highlight reel finish of Chris van Heerden headlined a Manchester show in April 2022, ultimately proving the South African's final professional appearance.

After an enthralling 12-round contest on April 26, Eubank Jr inflicted Benn's first professional loss at middleweight. The 28-year-old, ranked No. 4 with the IBF at junior middleweight, sits a place higher with the WBC in his natural weight class.

Having enjoyed his holidays stateside in the months after a stock-rising performance, the Ilford resident is expected to begin training camp for his next bout in the coming weeks.

Sulaiman told Sky Sports: "He is ranked by the WBC, Eubank also is, in different weight categories. It is up to him [Benn], right now if he's doing a rematch, then he's not going to challenge for the [title] for some time but he's eligible."

Sulaiman gave an example of a lowly-ranked contender exceeding expectations in a world title fight and being rewarded with a rankings upgrade, much like Ramon Cardenas' spirited effort in defeat by Naoya Inoue last month.

He also sought to preemptively justify any criticism over Benn's standing in a division that he hasn't competed at for three years, saying:

"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 still can advance in the rankings. Usually people would think you lose, you go down in the rankings but it's not the case.

"[Benn] is right there. He's No 3 ranked, right at the top. 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."