Eddie Hearn speaks on possible Pacquiao-Benn fight
Promoter Eddie Hearn spoke on the negotiation regarding the possible fight between Manny Pacquiao and Conor Benn.
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Hearn speaks on Pacquiao-Benn match
The British promoter provided an update during his interview with IFLTV.
Hearn said the possible Pacquiao-Benn match may take place in London, instead of the proposed Saudi Arabia.
“Listen, we all want that fight, and obviously Manny flew in for talks and to watch the show in Saudi Arabia. So that’s what we’d like to do,” Hearn said. “We’re waiting for the Conor Benn announcement from the appeal. We were told it was going to be in two weeks, and it’s now nearly four weeks. So we’ll be hearing about that appeal any day.
“It’s not in our hands, it’s in the hands of the [British Boxing] Board [of Control]. And their decision will determine where Conor Benn’s next fight will be because, quite frankly, we could do Conor Benn versus Pacquiao in a stadium in London,” Hearn added.
Benn, 27, tested positive twice for a banned substance, clomiphene, before his upcoming encounter with Chris Eubank Jr.
The said fight was scheduled to take place at London’s O2 Arena on October 5, 2022.
Benn’s last two fights came in the United States, both of which resulted in back-to-back victories.
Even matchup
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s last professional fight ended in a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021.
The eight-division world champion received criticisms on social media, saying Pacquiao is already too old to fight.
Hearn had the chance to respond to the Filipino icon’s doubters, saying the match would become more even on paper.
“It’s a fight I like,” said Hearn. “I have seen people say, ‘Oh, he’s not the Manny Pacquiao of old’ – thank God for that. I think it’s a 50-50 fight at this stage.”