Conor Benn is ready to take on Mario Barrios in a WBC welterweight world title fight as early as March next year.
Barrios retained the world title after drawing with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who came out of retirement for the bout, earlier this year.
Speculation has linked Barrios to a defence against Ryan Garcia in 2026. But Benn, who completed a career-best victory over Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday, would be available to challenge Barrios next and would be willing to fight the WBC champion as soon as March.
Benn's lawyer Lee Emptage told SportNews: "He [Benn]'d be a much bigger fight for Barrios in terms of commercial appeal coming off that huge win at the weekend so would make much more sense for Mario."
He added that while Benn is eyeing the belt first, he is targeting another big stadium fight later next year also at 147lbs "against the likes of a Ryan Garcia or Gervonta Davis".
Benn took a revenge win over Eubank Jr in a middleweight rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
After Eubank had inflicted a first defeat him in April, Benn dominated their rematch, knocking Eubank down twice in the last round to close out a clear unanimous decision victory.
Benn weighed in at middleweight for both of those fights, and hasn't come in under the welterweight limit since knocking out Chris van Heerden in 2022.
But he is determined to return to his natural weight class, 147lbs, and wants to emulate his famous father, British boxing legend Nigel Benn by winning a WBC world championship.
"I don't know how long I can make 147 for," Benn said after Saturday's triumph. "It's going to be hard of course making 147lbs.
"It's going to be challenging but ultimately that's what we do.
"It's the belt I would love to win," he added of the WBC title. "It would be some moment for me.
"For me it's let me get that world title, for me that will be a box ticked."
