Hearn Wants Big Fights For Benn, Zhang Receives A Hero’s Welcome In China

In today’s boxing news latest headlines, Eddie Hearn is looking to put Conor Benn in the biggest fights out there. 

Benn recently made his comeback to the sport with a unanimous-decision win over Rodolfo Orozco. However, the background noise heading into the fight was whether Benn should have fought following his two failed VADA tests.

Although Benn had been cleared by the National Anti-Doping Agency, UKAD and the BBBofC have appealed the decision. As such, while Benn is allowed to box, he must go through a hearing as a ban could still be on the cards.

This is particularly since Benn’s defense appears to be based on jurisdiction rather than whether he had Clomiphene in his system. And yet, Hearn is pressing ahead with plans for a big fight.

Kell Brook and Chris Eubank Jr. have been mentioned as opponents. However, those fights are arguably only possible in the UK due to the massive fanbase. But as of now, Benn is not licensed by the BBBofC and is not entitled to fight in the UK until he has a hearing. 

Hearn On Benn

“He’s never going to be short of a big fight. We just have to make one for him hopefully in December. He wants the biggest fight available. It could be Eubank. It could be Kell Brook. Over here (in the U.S.), we’d love to see him fight Ugas or Barrios, anybody else at 147 as well,” Hearn stated 

Zhang’s Return To China

Meanwhile, Zhilei Zhang received a huge welcome home in China following his win over Joe Joyce.

In their highly-anticipated rematch, Zhang stopped Joyce much quicker with a third-round knockout. The win meant that the Chinese retained his WBO interim heavyweight title, which places him in line to fight Oleksandr Usyk.

In addition, Zhang called out Tyson Fury once again for a mega fight in China. The country could certainly stage a fight that would satisfy Fury’s claims of wanting the most lucrative fights.

And with a population of over one billion, a huge proportion of the country was on hand to wish the champion well on his return. 

The following footage shows Zhang being mobbed by numerous fans as he received a hero’s welcome. And once the dust had settled down somewhat, the fighter had this to say on his social media. 

“Thank you CHINA. “Such an overwhelming moment for me as a boxer and human being. It’s unbelievably to think about how boxing has changed my life. Tonight CHINA stands up! We let the world see what we can do next,” Zhang stated 

And by the looks of it, there is a demand for the Chinese fighter. Eddie Hearn recently confirmed that Zhang could be an alternative if the Deontay Wilder fight does not get made.

As of now, the chances of the fight happening in Saudi Arabia are non-existent as Hearn searches for other venues. Therefore, a fight with Zhang in China could provide a mega event. 

“AJ’s always fancied that fight, he beat him in the amateurs, it was a good fight.”Yeah course, money talks. We can talk about that fight no problem,” Hearn