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Sources told talkSPORT correspondent Michael Benson that Eddie Hearn is in discussion with Top Rank to make Conor Benn vs. Jose Ramirez next. Benn is coming off a spectacular second-round knockout victory against experienced welterweight Chris Van Heerden. Meanwhile, Ramirez got back to his winning ways by defeating Jose Pedraza via a 12-round decision.
'The Destroyer' has shown vast improvements in recent years and Hearn wants to match his fighter up against better quality opposition.
Here's what Hearn said at the Benn-Van Heerden post-fight conference:
"It's time to move up and the progression has been incredible. As I said earlier it would be absolute madness to get to world championship level having never faced a southpaw. For his development I think that was really important and that was another brilliant performance."
Watch the full post-fight press conference between Benn and Van Heerden:
It remains to be seen if the Matchroom promoter can get a fight scheduled against a former world champion like Ramirez. Benn has steadily improved his resume and has now beaten the likes of Chris Algieri, Van Heerden and Sebastian Formella.
Conor Benn vs. Jose Ramirez
A bout against Jose Ramirez would be Conor Benn's toughest test to date on paper. Ramirez only has one loss on his record, which came against a pound-for-pound ranked boxer in Josh Taylor. Despite losing to the Scotsman, 'Jaguar' was competitive throughout the bout and lost by a couple of rounds on the judges' scorecards.
Watch the highlights between Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez:
However, Benn may have a slight size advantage over Ramirez. 'The Destroyer' has campaigned at 147 lbs for the majority of his career, whereas the American has never fought at welterweight. The son of the legendary Nigel Benn has also shown devastating knockout power.
Regardless, a fight against Ramirez would display how close Benn is to the top fighters in the world. If the Essex boxer beats him more convincingly than Taylor, or manages to stop him, this could imply that he is ready to challenge for a world title shot.
