Conor Benn says he spoke with Shakur Stevenson about potentially fighting him in April in a stadium fight in the UK. He states that Shakur told him he’ll defeat Teofimo Lopez first in early 2026, then they can fight in April.
Can Benn Even Make 147 Again?
For that fight to happen, Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) would need to return to 147 because Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) is too small to move up to 160 or 154 to fight. It’s questionable if Benn can even make 147 now, as he has not fought in the weight class in three years since 2022.
It would be a size mismatch for Benn to fight the lightweight Stevenson after having beaten Chris Eubank Jr. at middleweight by a 12-round unanimous decision last Saturday, on November 15th, in London.
Benn is all over the place, calling out different fighters since his win over the weight-drained-looking 36-year-old Eubank Jr. at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Initially, Conor called out these fighters after his win:
Mario Barrios
Devin Haney
Ryan Garcia
Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
Nigel Benn Wants 147, Not Circus Fights
Now, Benn has seemingly changed his mind about fighting for a welterweight title. He’s now focusing on a money fight against Ryan Garcia. His father, Nigel Benn, wants him to focus on fighting for a world title at 147 and not waste time fighting a smaller fighter who is going to run around the ring all night.
Without naming any names, Nigel mentioned the May 2nd Times Square card in New York that happened earlier this year. In that event, Devin Haney used a lot of movement in his fight, and so did Teofimo Lopez.
“I just spoke with Shakur, because I’m the one who talks, when I talk it, I mean it,” said Conor Benn to the AH Show about his interest in fighting Shakur Stevenson. “I spoke to Shakur yesterday. ‘Are you being serious? If you’re being serious, we can do the fight in April, and we can do it in a stadium here.’”
It would make Benn look like a joke in the eyes of fans if he chooses to fight Shakur at welterweight. There are already many people who view Conor as a fake, who is living off his dad, former two-division world champion Nigel’s name, and not fighting quality opposition. Eubank Jr. was not a true middleweight, and he wasn’t even considered a good 168-pounder.
Shakur’s “Beat Teo First” Promise
“He said, ‘Listen, I’m going to get Teo [Lopez] out of the way. I’m going to get a win for sure, and 100% we can do the fight in April in England,’” said Benn about what Shakur told him.
Shakur shouldn’t assume anything right now about his still-to-be-announced January 31, 2026, fight against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez. He could lose that fight. He didn’t look impressive in his last performance against William Zepeda on July 12th, and he’s not on the same level of power-wise as Lopez.
“The reality is, I’ll make the fight happen. I’ll tell Eddie [Hearn], ‘This is what we’re doing. Let’s make the fight. The same with the Eubank thing. I built up to 160 now, but I was at 147 when I agreed to the fight. So, I’m willing to fight any man,” said Benn.
