Conor Benn is inching closer to landing an opponent for his next fight. 

After considering foes like Adrien Broner, Robert Guerrero, and David Avanesyan, Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn is zeroing in on a former 140-pound champion to challenge his ascending welterweight. 

“I love the Maurice Hooker fight. I’ve made an offer to Maurice Hooker [to fight in April],” Hearn told IFL. 

“[Hooker] was talking about going back down to 140, which would be mental. Yeah, he could never make 140 and would have to move up.

“Talks are ongoing with him. I don’t think it’ll be Robert Guerrero … I think the Maurice Hooker fight is the better fight; it’s the tougher fight than the Guerrero fight. Like I said, April is the target date for Conor Benn, so I’ll be looking to nail that opponent by the end of the month.

“I still love the Adrien Broner fight. He wants a warmup fight, Adrien Broner, but I just don’t know who’s going to give him a warmup fight. So we’ll see. There’s a lot of talks still progressing with him and a couple of other people in the mix, but I would love to make the Maurice Hooker fight.”

If “Mighty Mo” is the opponent to go, it would be the second consecutive former world champion Benn would be fighting. The 25-year-old British boxer is coming off a 2020 knockout of the year frontrunner after stopping Chris Algieri in December in just four rounds. 

Benn also scored wins against Adrian Granados and Samuel Vargas in 2021. He closed off 2020 with a decision win over Sebastian Formella.

Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) pleaded earlier this month that he did not need a tune-up fight for his next test. 

“When you’ve got a global superstar like Conor Benn, you don’t f--- it up by a big balls promoter. Conor Benn will fight anyone. ‘Give me Boots Ennis. Give me Vergil Ortiz,' said Hearn. "When the time is right, he will fight them, and he will beat them." 

A date with Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) could prove to be the challenge Benn has been looking for. Although he’s lost two out of his last three fights, the 32-year-old Hooker has given everything Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ramirez could handle in spirited knockout losses.

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.