Conor Benn had one of the best breakout years amongst any upstart boxer in 2021. 

The 25-year-old Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) scored a fourth-round TKO of Samuel Vargas in April, fought to a unanimous decision win against Adrian Granados in September, and landed a brutal, knockout-of-the-year contender against Chris Algieri in four rounds in December.

Benn is quickly catapulting himself into a top-10 contender at 147 pounds, and joining the conversation alongside the likes of Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jaron Ennis, and Eimantas Stanionis as top undefeated prospects in the division to keep an eye on.

The second-generation fighter and son of former two-division world champion Nigel Benn is looking to bite off way more than the past-their-prime gatekeepers he’s been served over his last three fights.

"I don't believe I need a couple more fights, if they offered me [Yordenis] Ugas next I would take that fight," Benn told ESPN. "I know what I'm capable of and what I've been doing in the ring proves it. You have to remember it's not just that I've beaten these opponents that I have but the ease and how I'm beating these opponents.

"When you do the comparisons with the world champions they fought prior to me and I'm dealing better with them than they did so you can use that as a benchmark. I fancy my chances against any of them. I've defended my [WBA welterweight continental] title six times now and I was ranked top five before the Algieri fight so I should be top three with the majority of the governing bodies soon.

"I would say it [Algieri win] was my most significant win but I've had other good wins. I've had easy fights that should have been hard fights, and I've had hard fights that should have been easy fights. But I'm always evolving.”

The British boxer Benn ranked the top five fighters in the division in the following order: WBO titlist Terence Crawford, WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr., Ortiz Jr., Ennis, and the WBA crownholder Ugas.

"Mentality, I have grown up, applied myself 100% to the sport and I've worked graveyard shifts. I've worked so hard, even when I had injuries like when I tore the tendons in my hand twice, I broke my jaw and while I had those injuries I was able to learn and grow and evolve and work on key fundamentals,” said Benn.

"I will fight whoever they put in front of me next ... Adrien Broner, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, I like the sound of all of those fights, they are big names in America so it would be good for my PR in America. But the world title is the end goal and I would love the Ugas fight.”

All signs are pointing for a unification bout between Ugas and Spence this spring, so a Benn encounter with the Cuban seems highly unlikely. 

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn alluded to more feasible opponents for Benn, who is currently ranked as the No. 5 contender by the WBC, WBA and IBF, and No. 7 by the WBO.

"Broner would like a fight before because he is on a new crusade of seriousness where he wants to have one last run at it," said Hearn. "He says he's ready for Conor Benn, but wants to fight in March if possible. If not, two names we like are Robert Guerrero and Maurice Hooker at The O2 [in London]. It will be one of those three names most likely."

Regardless of the foes in front of him, Benn is aware of his main responsibility. 

"I just have to keep winning, if I'm spoken about or not," Benn said. "I couldn't have planned this out, it was just meant to be. I've just run with it and the doors have opened and I've walked through them. I didn't let any fear, anxiety, concern, worry hold me back, I've gone straight through that door. It's not an easy thing to deal with [being Nigel’s son], but you learn to, it makes you stronger, coping with the pressure and you get used to it, it's my job."

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.