CONOR BENN has spent most of his career proving people wrong, but now he faces perhaps his biggest question yet.

What is next for the Brit?

Boxer Conor Benn in the ring with his hands wrapped.Conor Benn is at a tricky stage in his boxing career Credit: Getty Images Garcia throwing a punch at Benn during Zuffa Boxing Special Presentation.Benn was stopped by Ryan Garcia in two rounds for the WBC welterweight world title Credit: Zuffa Boxing via Getty Images

Benn’s dream of following dad Nigel and becoming a world champion ended brutally in Las Vegas as dropped and st.

A crushing right hand sent Benn crashing down before Garcia piled on the pressure and forced referee Thomas Taylor to wave it off after just one minute and 25 seconds of the second.

Benn can point towards the gruelling journey back down to 147lbs after years of filling out at higher weights.

But the manner of the defeat simply cannot be ignored, with Garcia barely needing to get out of first gear.

That leaves Benn in a fascinating, potentially dangerous position – especially with him admitting uncertainty over his career, .

Benn told SunSport before the Garcia fight that it would be his last at welterweight, giving a clear indication he is moving back up to middleweight and campaigning there from now on.

The Destroyer is too famous and commercially valuable to disappear on to undercards or headline a string of confidence-building wins against low-risk opposition.

Throwing him straight back in at world level – when it is evident he is far from that standard – could result in another devastating defeat that leaves his career in serious trouble.

Dana White and Conor Benn shake hands at a press conference.UFC president Dana White is Benn’s boxing promoter Credit: Getty Images

Is it worth the risk?

There is also the factor, with Benn signing a multi-fight deal with Zuffa and the boss making no secret of his dislike for traditional tune-up fights.

White wants competitive fights and the best against the best – great news for fans, but potentially less helpful for a boxer who might need time to rebuild.

Benn left Matchroom Boxing and for White.

With Benn looking to improve as a fighter, many would argue that Hearn, 47, could have successfully guided him back to the top – just as he did over their ten years together to get him there in the first place.

Retirement cannot be totally dismissed either, with Benn having already made life-changing money from a career which has turned him into one of British boxing’s biggest names.

But if the 29-year-old still has that burning desire to become a world champion, there are some fascinating options available.

CHRIS EUBANK JR

This is surely the strongest option and the easiest one to sell.

Benn and . are locked at 1-1, have twice filled Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and still clearly cannot stand each other.

Eubank was quick to have his say following Benn’s Garcia defeat and there is enough bad blood left to make a trilogy another monster event.

And this time there would be no need for either man to put themselves through a savage weight cut.

Benn told SunSport he would fight Eubank at super-middleweight to settle their rivalry once and for all – music to the ears of Eubank Jr.

Chris Eubank Jr. in the boxing ring, with cuts and blood on his face, head, and shoulder.Chris Eubank Jr is the fight that makes the most sense next for Benn Credit: Action Images via Reuters Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn boxing in the ring.Benn and Eubank are tied at one apiece Credit: Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images

AARON McKENNA

If Benn wants to go straight back after his world-title dream, Dana White already has an intriguing fight sitting in-house.

Unbeaten McKenna, 27, holds the IBF middleweight crown and is also signed to Zuffa Boxing, while Benn has confirmed his future is at 160lbs.

There would be no promotional politics and a victory would immediately transform the Garcia disaster into a distant memory.

But going from being demolished in two rounds straight into an unbeaten world champion would be an enormous gamble and perhaps exactly the danger Benn now faces under Zuffa.

DENZEL BENTLEY

A fight that makes sense for British boxing fans.

WBO middleweight champion Bentley, 31, has already offered Benn an immediate crack at his belt and openly admitted the huge payday the Destroyer brings appeals to him.

But the real selling point is history – Nigel Benn won that same WBO middleweight crown in 1990.

More than three decades later, his son trying to bring the belt back into the Benn family would make for a huge all-British world-title night.

Dereck Chisora with a championship belt on his shoulder.Denzel Bentley vs Conor Benn would be a fight that makes sense for British boxing Credit: Getty Images Dereck Chisora holding a championship belt while being carried on another man's shoulders.Bentley was elevated to full WBO middleweight champion Credit: Getty Images

KELL BROOK

Yes, .

Brook walked away from boxing after finally settling his rivalry with Amir Khan in 2022 but has since teased coming out of retirement for another major fight.

There is history here too, with Benn and Brook having to be separated at ringside in Dublin in 2023 before Brook declared: “I don’t like the guy. That’s a fight I could get up for.”

Special K confirmed he was coming out of retirement this year.

Kell Brook and Eubank Jr have also been linked with a fight, turning this into a race to see who can catch Brook first.

It promises a lucrative payday for what appears to be a winnable fight, given Brook’s inactivity and age.

Brook, now 40, would hardly be the traditional route back towards a world title.

But put Benn and Special K on a poster and plenty would still pay to watch.

Kell Brook flexing his biceps at the weigh-in event.Kell Brook confirmed he is coming out of retirement Credit: Getty Images Boxer Kell Brook lands a punch on Amir Khan's face.Brook was last in the ring when he beat long-time rival Amir Khan in 2022 Credit: PA

JAKE PAUL

Now for the wildcard. .

Benn has praised Paul in the past, calling him commercially smart and even admitting fighters need to take a look at how he promotes himself.

Paul is targeting a return after his defeat to left him with a broken jaw.

And while the weight difference would need some serious negotiating, the money would be enormous.

But, negotiations would be difficult, as Benn’s promoter, Dana White, and the pair of Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian – who once worked for White – do not get along at all.

Then again, there is a strong dislike between White and boxing legend , who promotes Garcia, yet the fight between Garcia and Benn still happened.

It would not move Benn any closer to a world title.

But after such a damaging loss to Garcia, a huge crossover event could offer him a lucrative way back without immediately facing another elite champion

And that is ultimately the strange problem Benn now faces.

Jake Paul in boxing stance, wearing one black glove and one white glove.Jake Paul could offer Benn a lucrative, low-risk fight Credit: Getty Images Anthony Joshua throws a punch at Jake Paul in a boxing match.Paul was last in the ring with Anthony Joshua and received a double broken jaw from AJ Credit: JC Ruiz/PA Wire

Eubank offers unfinished business alongside immediate entry back into a massive fight, while Paul delivers on paper an easy for a monster payday.

McKenna and Bentley offer world titles, and Brook promises a blockbuster British grudge match.

What Benn probably needs is time to rebuild, but the scale of the attraction means Conor Benn the boxer may well not be given it.

The Home of Boxing in 2026

There's a massive year of boxing ahead!

It has already been a blockbuster year inside the ring, and it is not going to stop anytime soon!

All eyes are focused on when and will get in the ring, with the pair due to finally settle their decade-long rivalry.

In his first world title fight, has been beaten in TWO ROUNDS by WBC champion Ryan Garcia.

October’s action doesn’t stop either, with and facing off in the rematch of their thrilling fight in May, while returns against Christian Mbili on Halloween.

September

  • Sat 19 – Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo – DAZN

October

  • Sat 3 – Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace – DAZN
  • Sat 17 – Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 – DAZN
  • Sat 31 – Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbili – DAZN

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