He isn’t vindicated just yet, but Conor Benn is finally moving forward with his career.

Benn’s name has been sullied and dragged through the mud since it was revealed that he failed a pre-fight drug test ahead of his showdown against Chris Eubank Jr. Normally talkative and always in the public eye, Benn was mostly out of sight and out of mind. Although he hasn’t fully cleared his name, he’ll be allowed to begin his comeback when he takes on Rodolfo Orozco in Orlando Florida, at Caribe Royale this upcoming weekend.

Naturally, Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) huffed and puffed while claiming that he had what it takes to become a welterweight champion. Ultimately, that’s still the goal, but having his eyes on a title at just 147 pounds feels like he’s confining himself.

Going forward, Benn won't simply be keeping tabs on Terence Crawford, Jaron Ennis, and Keith Thurman. For whatever reason, he’s expanding his Hitlist. Welterweights, junior middleweights, and even full-fledged middleweights are now on his radar. Of course, Benn was initially going to face Eubank Jr. at 157 pounds. Catchweights are no longer his thing. If a showdown against Eubank Jr. is rekindled, the 26-year-old doesn’t have a problem competing at 160 pounds.

Fighting his British rival is an obvious option but he isn’t the only one.

Benn is a thrill seeker. Meaning, he needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Fighting Eubank Jr. is something he desires but it doesn’t induce fear. A matchup against Gennadiy Golovkin, however, does.

The former middleweight don has gone off the grid since coming up short against Canelo Alvarez in 2022. Although it may not be a pragmatic bout, Benn recently revealed that Golovkin’s name was mentioned when he spoke to his handlers.

“There’s big names that have been mentioned. Golovkin’s name was mentioned. I’d take that fight.”