Conor Benn has told Boxing Social he will fight on April 23 with his likely opponent being American Maurice Hooker.
Benn who is unbeaten in his professional career after 20 bouts ended his 2021 in emphatic fashion knocking out former world champion Chris Algieri in just four rounds last month.
Ranked in the top 10 with the WBO, IBF and WBA, Benn is now knocking on the door of more significant fights which he hopes will take him to a world title shot. A fight against former WBO super-lightweight champion Hooker, one of two options along with Robert Guerrero, is part of a three-fight plan for Benn in 2022.
“Choice out of Robert Guerrero and Maurice Hooker? Maurice Hooker all day long. I don’t feel good beating up an older man,” Benn told Boxing Social’s Andi Purewal.
“Maurice Hooker he’s still on it. Broke his hand in the Vergil Ortiz fight and that got stopped. If they put Maurice Hooker in front of me, I plan on showing why my name should be amongst the top of the American pile as well. I plan on putting on more of a clinical job than Vergil Ortiz did.”
Hooker or Guerrero were not the names that Benn initially wanted.
“I wanted Danny Garcia,” he said. “That was who I wanted. That was the first name I shouted to (trainer) Tony [Sims] and (promoter) Eddie [Hearn] straight away. Mikey or Danny Garcia.
I’d love that fight. Danny Garcia, a great fighter. These fights make my mouth water.”
Click here to watch the interview in full where Benn opens up about his mental health struggles, the early days of his career, David Avanesyan, Khan v Brook, his welterweight rivals and much more.