Conor Benn is targeting two transatlantic clashes when he returns to the ring.
The undefeated welterweight has been embroiled in a doping scandal since last October that has seen him inactive and making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
It’s unclear when he will fight next, but he has resumed training and is making a list of potential dance partners.
Asked recently on Instagram who might be in the other corner, he named both Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr as targets.
Thurman is a former unified champion at the weight, having held both the WBA and WBC titles. A sustained period of inactivity saw him lose the WBC, and he went on to lose the WBA to Manny Pacquiao – now retired, but also in the running to face Benn.
As for Spence Jr, he needs to introduction in terms of the welterweight division. The 33-year-old currently holds three of the four major belts, having beaten the likes of Kell Brook, Mikey Garcia and Shawn Porter to get where he is.
He’s rumoured to be fighting the division’s other champion, Terence Crawford, this summer – although that has been going on for some time now. Should he do that and win, Benn could battle for a shot if he beats Thurman first. The latter is currently ranked number one with the WBC whilst Benn sits at number six.
The Brit has also been linked yet again with Chris Eubank Jr – the man he was set to face when the scandal broke last year. Eubank has just seen a rematch with Liam Smith postponed.
First up though, is the small matter of being licensed to fight. The 26-year-old is provisionally suspended by the UK Anti-Doping Agency for two failed tests in 2022, and is awaiting a formal hearing before he can rightfully proceed with his career.
There was talk of him returning on an overseas bill before the British Board and their doping partner came to a conclusion, but that seems to have died down in recent weeks.