LONDON – Eddie Hearn, perhaps the most efficient salesman operating in boxing today, is a merchant of outlandish claims.

And in the first few minutes of Sunday morning, in the press auditorium at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Hearn made a statement on Conor Benn that is sure to raise a few eyebrows and ruffle a few feathers.

A little over an hour after Benn’s hand had been raised in centre pitch after 12 one-sided rounds with Chris Eubank Jr., he sat at the top table fielding questions on his future, which he insists now belongs at welterweight. Hearn, to his left, pointed at the 29-year-old Benn and suggested he is now the biggest player at the 147-pound table.

“With all due respect to Haney, Norman, Rolly Romero, Lewis Crocker, who we represent,” Hearn said, “Conor is the star of the 147-pound division."

Benn has not made the weight in 3½ years and does not hold a belt in the division.

His lack of activity as a 147-pounder means he is not currently rated by The Ring at all. Somehow, he remains at No. 6 with the WBA and No. 4 with the WBC.

In a division which housed all-time greats like Floyd Mayweather, Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez in the not-so-distant past, it is fair to say that this is not necessarily a golden age of welterweights. The incumbent champions would still argue their stars are currently higher than Benn’s in the wake of Hearn’s claims.

Crocker, like Benn, filled a stadium in his last fight two months ago, when he beat Paddy Donovan to claim the IBF title. The outspoken Rolando Romero stunned Ryan Garcia to win the WBA belt at Times Square in New York in his last fight. WBO champ Brian Norman Jr.’s stock soared with his highlight-reel knockout of Jin Sasaki in June.

Norman, of course, faces Devin Haney, another major player at welterweight, on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner will no doubt refute Hearn’s suggestion.

But even with all that context, the Matchroom chief might just have a point.

“This is the money in the division,” Hearn said, pointing to Benn. “And that’s why everyone is calling him out.”

The fourth and final champion at welterweight is Mario Barrios, who holds the WBC belt that Benn wants more than any other. He looks set to face Garcia sometime early in 2026. Hearn will look to match Benn with whoever emerges victorious as quickly as possible.

Given he weighed in at 159¼ pounds for his rematch with Eubank, there will be some weight loss required from Benn, who will no doubt enjoy his Christmas before an outing in the May or June of next year.

A fight between Benn, the most famous face in British boxing outside of the heavyweights, and Garcia, should he win, would be instant box office. Although Barrios-Benn would be big in the context of Benn’s career, a showdown with Garcia would be a commercial behemoth.

Crocker-Benn, particularly outdoors in the UK, would land domestically, but would not carry the same transatlantic appeal. Meanwhile, none of Romero, Haney or Norman can draw the sort of numbers Benn did at the gate.

But given his desire to claim the WBC belt, the same green and gold strap his dad Nigel held, and the fact he occupies the No. 4 spot in its rankings, Benn will likely pursue that route only.

“I know that every time he trains in his gym at home, he’s got his dad’s WBC belt up on the wall,” Hearn said. “He’s looking at that every day and he says, ‘I’m going to get one of them.’ The Barrios fight’s there, the Crocker fight’s there and the winner of Haney-Norman is there, but he’s in a wonderful position. He’s got a big fan base and a wonderful broadcaster behind us.”

The money in the division? It might not be that outlandish after all.