Conor Benn Brushes Off IBF Drop, Eyes WBC Title Shot Against Mario Barrios After Eubank Jr. Rematch

Conor Benn isn’t worried about the IBF removing him today from their top 15 rankings at 154. His target is to go after WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios after his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. next month in their middleweight bout on November 15 in London.

Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) hasn’t fought at junior middleweight in 20 months since his victory over Peter Dobson on February 3, 2024. So, it’s understandable why the IBF has chosen to remove him from their top 15 rankings.

Target: Mario Barrios

Conor, 29, is ranked #4 WBC at welterweight, and he wants to return to the division to challenge Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) after he faces Eubank Jr. next month. Barrios is seen as the weakest link at 147 by many boxing fans.

It would be a bad public relations move on Benn’s part to target Barrios for his WBC belt rather than fighting the winner of the November 22nd fight between Devin Haney and WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. However, the risk would be high for Conor because of Norman’s power.

Financially, going after Barrios’ title would make Benn a champion at welterweight, and he could make good milking the belt against different contenders to his choosing. He could also set up unification fights against one of these welterweight champions:

• Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero – WBA
• Lewis Crocker – IBF
• Brian Norman Jr – WBO

“His belt has got my name on it. The WBC world title is the belt I want. I will go over to America and beat the champion,” said Conor Benn to Ring Magazine about his intentions to return to the welterweight division to challenge WBC champion Mario Barrios after his rematch with Eubank Jr.

Eubank Jr. vs. Benn 2 will headline on November 15 on DAZN PPV at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Benn is getting another chance to fight Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) after losing a 12-round unanimous decision to him earlier this year on April 26th.

The rematch is basically just a business-level fight, as Eubank Jr. soundly beat Benn last April, winning by the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112. Benn looked like he was ready to be knocked out in the later rounds. He absorbed a lot of punishment in the fight.

Can Benn Handle Eubank Again?

It would be a good idea for Benn’s corner to throw in the towel or pull him out if he starts getting worked over again by Eubank Jr., because he doesn’t need to stay in there and take a needless beating. There’s too vast a gulf in natural size and experience between him and Eubank Jr.

Dan Ambrose has covered boxing since 2011, bringing fans insight on the sport’s biggest fights.