Conor Benn posted a picture of himself and IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis standing in the ring on Instagram today, making fans believe the two are planning a fight.
Many believe this is just a pathetic case of Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) using engagement farming to get some cheap attention on his fizzling career by posting a picture of him standing in the ring with arguably the #1 fighter in the 147-lb division, Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs). I guess you’ve got to do something if you’re Benn.
Conor’s career is floundering, going nowhere fast, and he’s about to turn 28 and has never fought a top 15-level contender. This would be the ultimate desperate move for Benn to challenge for a world title against IBF champion Boots.
On the positive side, Conor would have a handy excuse to give the fans after he loses, telling them he fought the best guy in the welterweight division. That would help Benn deflect some of the criticism that will be dumped on him after he’s blown out of the water by Boots Ennis
Benn: Fish Food or Just Flailing?
This would be the equivalent of Benn walking the plank into shark-infested waters, with the killer talent Boots Ennis waiting to gobble him up for a small snack.
It’s hard to believe Benn’s wily promoter, Eddie Hearn, would willingly feed him the 26-year-old Ennis after how Conor turned in back-to-back woeful performances against little-known Peter Dobson and Rodolfo Orozco in his last two fights.
Hearn is keen on a good spectacle now and then, but he’d be crazy to throw Benn in the dangerous waters with a talent like Benn lurking around the Matchroom ship, ready to wolf down this snack.
Where Did Your Power Go, Conor?
What was interesting about those fights was the absence of Conor Benn’s once-vaunted punching power. Benn went from a guy who could punch a hole through a brick wall to a fighter who couldn’t dent a marshmallow.
Conor had zero power and appeared to have been drained to the point where he was a weakling. Unless Benn can rediscover his superpowers, he won’t last more than one round against a monstrous puncher like Ennis.
It’ll be a feeding frenzy for Ennis, and he’s not the type to play with his food. He’s going to make a quick meal of Benn and leave his British fans in shock at what they just witnessed.
Manny, Please Don’t Do It
Benn, #3 WBA, and #3 WBC had recently posed for pictures with 45-year-old retired former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, making some believe the two were in the planning stages for a fight. If that fight were to happen, it would be clear that Benn’s entire career is just a Jake Paul type of hustle.