Conor Benn lined up for potential fights with Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson next year

Conor Benn could fight Ryan Garcia in a high-profile bout next year.

Garcia is likely to box WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios next, with the winner a potential opponent for Benn in a major US clash.

Eddie Hearn, Benn's promoter, told Sky Sports: "Conor is obsessed with the WBC title because he grew up with that belt on his wall in his house. His father won that belt. In his gym he's got a WBC belt. It's something that's very personal to him.

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"There's a big fight that looks like it's going to happen between Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios, and His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] told me and Conor in Riyadh that he likes the idea of Ryan Garcia, if he wins that fight, versus Conor Benn on Cinco de Mayo potentially in Las Vegas.

"That would be a huge event. We'd sell that out just from Brits travelling alone."

After winning last month's rematch with Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight, Benn's intention is to move back to welterweight. The WBC has installed him as their No 1 contender, which leaves him well placed to challenge for that title at 147lbs.

There's no guarantee that Garcia would beat Barrios if that fight gets made. The American lost a comeback bout to Rolando Romero earlier this year, a contest which took place after Garcia had served out a one-year ban for failing a drug test, an incident which saw his win over Devin Haney overturned and ruled a no contest.

Benn hasn't made the welterweight limit since 2022, prior to his suspension for an anti-doping violation. Once he was cleared to box in the UK he fought Eubank Jr twice at middleweight, losing the first fight but winning the second.

His composed showing in the Eubank rematch has elevated his standing as a potential world title contender and his team is convinced that he can successfully return to welterweight.

"The plan now is to move back down to 147lbs. The science says he can do it. It's not going to be easy. Now that process is taking place to get him down to championship weight and try and win a world championship in 2026," Hearn said.

A shot at the WBC belt isn't his only option. Shakur Stevenson, the unbeaten three-weight world champion who will challenge Teofimo Lopez for the WBO super-lightweight crown in January, could be a possible opponent for later in 2026.

"Shakur has made it clear to Conor Benn that he wants to fight Teofimo [Lopez] and then fight Conor Benn. That's also a fight that could happen in the UK in the summer," Hearn said.

"Right now Conor Benn's probably one of the most called out fighters in the world. To be fair he does call everybody else out as well but it doesn't matter if it's Devin Haney, Rolly Romero, Lewis Crocker [the IBF 147lb champion], Shakur Stevenson, all of these guys are calling out Conor Benn.

"So he's in a wonderful position. I believe the next fight will be for a world championship."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Conor Benn lined up for potential fights with Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson next year