Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is looking to set up an exciting welterweight showdown in the U.K. this summer. Recently, Hearn suggested that an international showdown featuring former 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez and undefeated welterweight contender Conor Benn is in the works.
“We’ve made an offer to Top Rank [for July 9 at the O2 Arena in London],” Hearn told IFL earlier this week.
“Jose Ramirez is the one that I would love to get [for Conor]. The money that DAZN would pay for a Ramirez fight and the money they’d pay for an [David] Avanesyan fight – if I can get Jose Ramirez over Avanesyan, no disrespect, we have to do that. If we can’t get a big name, we would consider Avanesyan. Benn-Avanesyan, does that sell out the O2?”
Hearn has also noted that Benn would like to share the ring with former welterweight champion Keith Thurman. However, it’s unclear how likely that is to happen in the immediate future.
“It’s a fight that I like. Conor wants to fight Keith Thurman, which I think is a very, very [tough opponent]. I’d like to have one more before he fights Keith Thurman. I’m just being straight up, but he’s ready to go. Obviously, he was disappointed Kell Brook chose to retire,” he added.
Ramirez’s last two fights have been set at ESPN while Benn has fought exclusively on DAZN. It is unclear how negotiations between Ramirez’s team and Matchroom Boxing would go, but it does appear that there is a desire to make this happen.
