Five potential opponents for Conah Walker to fight next.
On Saturday, British boxing fans were treated to an absolute atomic bomb of a fight between Conah Walker and Sam Eggington.
Walker and Eggington are like two real-life action heroes, and the collision between them was always going to set a precedent for violence and brutality.
On the night, it met even the wildest of expectations, and Walker eventually ground down Eggington and stopped him late on, cementing himself as perhaps Britain’s premier all-action fighter.
Overshadowed on a global scale by Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani and David Benavidez vs. Gilberto Ramírez (all happening on the same day), Walker’s victory deserves more attention. And here, we shall give it some.
Let’s look at five fighters who Walker could potentially face next.
5. Conor Benn.
The man that Walker directly called out after his win, Conor ‘The Destroyer’ Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) brings attention and controversy wherever he goes.
Interesting for a number of reasons, Conah vs. Conor would see two aggressive fighters going at each other, which could never make for a bad fight.
Walker stated he would like the Benn fight as the co-main event to Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. But while Benn has fought as the chief support to Fury before, it is unlikely Zuffa Boxing will risk their new signing against someone as dangerous as Walker.
It would be interesting, but maybe not so realistic.
4. Harlem Eubank.
If not a Benn next, why not a Eubank? Harlem Eubank (22-1, 9 KOs) is the nephew of Chris Eubank and the cousin of Chris Eubank Jr.
A clever fighter with technical skill (but also a decent dig), Eubank has only lost to Jack Catterall. And in his wins over Tyrone McKenna and Timo Schwarzkopf, he displayed the very totality of his ability.
Likely a clash of styles that would be quite fascinating to see, Walker vs. Eubank would truly test the world-level credentials of both men.
But on the surface, there are probably more overtly exciting opponents for Walker to face. Eubank is very much an option, though.
3. Elliot Whale.
Elliot Whale (14-0, 9 KOs) is the most unproven fighter on this list, so his placement here is purely based on what he has displayed so far.
Nonetheless, Whale is a 6’1″ southpaw who can punch, and a boxer with that description is probably enough to give even Walker pause.
Stylistically, this is a fight that would probably gel really well, but there is a gap between the two in terms of what they’ve proven in the ring.
In short, a fight with Walker would definitely be throwing Whale in at the deep end, but it would most likely provide for some fun results.
2. The Jack Rafferty vs. Ekow Essuman winner.
We’ll count this as one placement, since it makes more sense to fight the winner and not the loser.
Jack ‘The Demolition Man’ Rafferty (26-0-1, 17 KOs) and Ekow ‘The Engine’ Essuman (22-2, 8 KOs) will be throwing down on the Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois undercard this Saturday.
Both Rafferty and Essuman solely engage in entertaining fights, and if you’re wanting the most excitement possible, the winner of their fight is the best option for Walker here.
Essuman has reportedly already turned down a fight with Walker, but it’s possible the Rafferty bout was already in negotiations at the time.
Whether it’s Rafferty or Essuman, a fight against Walker would be as action-packed as it gets.
1. Jack Catterall.
Jack ‘El Gato’ Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) is currently scheduled to fight Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title. Whether he wins or loses that, a bout with Walker would be the most intriguing matchup that can be made at the weight between two Britons.
Catterall is a technical southpaw who has recently displayed more aggression, having stopped Ekow Essuman under Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis.
Whether Catterall could possibly do something similar against Walker would make for a very interesting contest, as well as whoever’s style proves the most dominant.
Catterall is on the cusp of some very big fights, and Walker could very well derail that. However, Catterall has not shied away from danger before, so it’s very possible we could see this happen, especially since both are managed by Sam Jones.
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