Conor Benn isn’t a natural middleweight, maybe one day he will be. But for now, he’s just rolling the dice.
This Saturday night, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the United Kingdom, Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) is brazenly moving up to face Chris Eubank Jr. If it was any other middleweight, there’s a chance Benn would have declined the opportunity. However, there’s too much bad blood, too much history, and flat-out, too much cash to turn it down.
Win, lose, or draw...well, maybe a draw is the exception, Benn figures to head back down in weight. At 147 pounds, he's only interested in big names and world titles. So, naturally, Jaron Ennis fits that description.
The current Ring, IBF, and WBA belt holder is mean, smooth, popular, and violent. The manner in which he got rid of Eimantas Stanionis recently, opened a few eyes and dropped a few jaws, Benn’s included.
Stanionis was one of the few recognizable faces willing to get in there with Ennis. Getting the rest of the welterweight divisions elite to follow suit could be vexing. Benn though, wants a piece of the action. Taking his eyes off Eubank Jr. could be a disaster but he simply wants Ennis to know that he’ll be ready anytime and anyplace.
“I never shied away from a fight,” said Benn to FightHype.com. “I called out Boots Ennis for the fight. It's a fight that I would love to have.”
Benn, 28, has the type of confidence that’s boarding on hubris. But while it might be perceived as arrogance to some, the highly ranked contender merely knows what he brings to the table. But, in the same breath, he’s well aware of what Ennis is capable of as well.
“He’s a great champion and a great fighter," continued Benn. "You want to challenge yourself against the best.”
The fight between Eubank and Benn
will air on DAZN PPV.