Conor Benn is in talks with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, who confirmed the talks to Mail Sport.
Benn has been fighting a doping case for almost two years after the banned substance clomiphene was found in his system. He claims that the positive test may have been related to the consumption of eggs.
Although his suspension was later lifted by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) in July, Benn still faces a possible two-year ban in Britain pending the outcome of appeals against that decision by the British Board or Boxing Control (BBBofC). and UK Anti-Doping, as first reported by Mail Sport.
In the meantime, he has fought twice in America with a US license, pending the decision, in Florida and Las Vegas.
But now he could be looking at a potentially big fight against one of the sport’s legends in the form of eightweight champion Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao is in talks to fight Conor Benn, Eddie Hearn confirmed to Mail Sport
Hearn claimed that despite the age difference, Pacquiao could even be a slight favorite to beat his fighter
Both Benn and Pacquiao were present in Saudi Arabia and were filmed facing off before shaking hands and parting ways, and Hearn confirmed discussions were underway between the two sides about a huge fight.
“We are in discussions,” Hearn told Mail Sport in Saudi Arabia. “We’re close to that fight, but we’ll see. It’s a fight we’d love to bring to Wembley; Pacquiao’s first fight in Britain would be incredible. We’ll have to see what their schedule looks like.
‘Manny Pacquiao is a legend, people talk about his inactivity. Yeah, sure he’s not the fighter he was, but he would beat all of Connor Ben’s opponents so far in his career, and I think he’ll even be a 50-50, maybe even a slight favorite to beat Connor Benn defeat. .
‘I like the fight. It really came out of the blue. It wasn’t something we focused on. But if it comes to that, we’ll be ready.
“He wants the fight. Sean Gibbons, his manager, who we know very, very well, contacted me and asked about Connor Benn and about the fight. And you know, Connor Ben is a young lion, the other guy is a legend. Sometimes fights like that just happen, and yeah, we’ll see.”
The news that a fight was in the works was not overwhelmingly supported by boxing fans on social media, with some pointing to the fact that Pacquiao turned 45 late last year.
Some reports suggest the fight would be formally announced at Thursday’s weigh-in event, only for a late change of plans to rule that out.
Pacquiao hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since being defeated at the hands of Yordenis Ugas in 2021, and so there would certainly be an element of ring rust if a fight were to happen.
Both fighters attended the weigh-in for the Knockout Chaos event on Thursday evening
Hearn claimed the 45-year-old would still be a formidable opponent despite his age
Pacquiao was asked about his interest in the fight and replied, “Yes. I believe he can put up a good fight. It’s been a while since I fought a young fighter like him and I’m happy about that.”
Hearn remained confident Pacquiao would not be a sham fight for Benn as he looks to rebuild his status in the sport.
“You know, I know Manny isn’t the fighter that he was, but he’s incredibly fast and still very skilled, and he’s very, very smart, and Connor is really a young, quite inexperienced fighter,” Hearn added to.
“But he’s someone new, so you have to be kind of aware that you’re fighting this legend of the sport and just get the job done.”