"Conor Benn could take it" - Amir Khan reveals who he believes could be the next big UK star
Amir Khan believes that Conor Benn might be his region's next huge pay-per-view star.
'King' retired from the sport of boxing last month following his loss to Kell Brook. The bout was a rare-double retirement match, as 'Special K' also decided to hang up the gloves following the victory. With that, two of the biggest UK boxing stars quickly left the game.
The two, along with the alleged retirement of Tyson Fury, quickly left a big gap in the UK market. It's a gap that could be taken advantage of by Conor Benn. That's according to Amir Khan himself.
As reported by talkSPORT's Michael Benson, the former Unified Light-Welterweight Champion dubbed Benn as a possible future star. However, he also had his words on how the Englishman's been promoted to this point by Eddie Hearn.
"In the UK, the next PPV star? I think Conor Benn could make it. I think Eddie Hearn's holding him back a bit too much. He's calling all these big names out - myself, Kell Brook. We're done. He needs to go and prove himself like when I went and fought Marcos Maidana."
See Michael Benson's tweet about Amir Khan below:
Amir Khan: "In the UK, the next PPV star? I think Conor Benn could make it. I think Eddie Hearn's holding him back a bit too much. He's calling all these big names out - myself, Kell Brook. We're done. He needs to go and prove himself like when I went and fought Marcos Maidana."
Who will Conor Benn fight next?
Conor Benn is at a strange crossroads in his career, where he's finding himself a star but not yet a world champion.
'The Destroyer' is the son of the legendary Nigel Benn, and is following in his father's footsteps. Sitting at 23-0, the 25-year-old is red hot off a destructive knockout of Chris van Heerden in April. Following the win, he was discussed as a possible opponent for many big names.
Two of those big names included the aforementioned Amir Khan and Kell Brook. Despite talk of him facing both, neither fight happened due to their retirements. He was then rumored to be in for a big UK showdown with Chris Eubank Jr. That fight, too, has seemingly hit roadblocks in getting officially booked.
Despite not getting any of the aforementioned big names, Benn will still likely face a former champion in his next bout. According to his promoter Eddie Hearn, they're currently looking for the 25-year-old to face former Unfied 140-pound Champion Jose Ramirez in July.
As of now, Benn's next bout is yet to be made official. However, fans of 'The Destroyer' can expect an announcement of his return in the weeks to come.