Benn hopes to revive Pacquiao talks for early 2027

After the strain of preparing at welterweight and his stoppage defeat to Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas in September, Conor Benn was unable to box Manny Pacquiao the following month. He now hopes to revive discussions about a bout in the first quarter of 2027. Benn is therefore considering a fight early in the year, but talks still need to resume; he has not described the bout as agreed.

Benn revealed that he had been offered a meeting with Pacquiao in December. He was not ready to accept that schedule, which he felt came too soon. The demands of preparing to make welterweight played a part in his decision, as did his wish to spend time with his family after the recent birth of his son. “The fight was presented to me for December, and it was just too soon: making weight, and I had a newborn son. For me, it was really about spending time with my family,” he explained.

The defeat to Garcia also underlines the period Benn had been through. In September, in his first world-title fight, the WBC welterweight champion stopped him inside two rounds. Garcia had dropped him heavily, although Benn was back on his feet when the stoppage came. “It’s a hard pill to swallow,” the Briton acknowledged. He nevertheless rejected excuses: Garcia, he said, is a phenomenal fighter, caught him with an exceptional shot and was the better man that night.

Benn said he respected the referee’s decision and responsibility to keep fighters safe. He would have preferred the fight to continue, he admitted, but did not want to challenge the intervention: if the referee thought he could not carry on, “that was his call on the night.” Benn also described his attitude to risk: he wants to give his best and accepts that an exciting fight can turn against him. Now, he intends to “dust it all off” and come back better.

Weight remains a central issue. Benn said he did not know what he had been thinking when targeting 147 pounds and said he was then 185 or 186 pounds. He explained that making the limit and performing well at that weight are different challenges, adding that he had paid the price for chasing greatness. He now sees his future at middleweight and has also considered light-middleweight, while doubting that division would suit him.

Even so, Pacquiao remains an appealing possibility. Benn called him “an all-time legend” and a world champion across eight divisions, as reported by Sky Sports, before adding that another stadium show sounded appealing. He says he is always in the gym and remains interested if Pacquiao wants to revive the plan in the first quarter: “We can do Pacquiao, no problem.”