New DAZN commentator Tony Bellew has praised Conor Benn as an outstanding prospect but believes he cannot be rushed into a fight with Shawn Porter.
Benn most recently annihilated Samuel Vargas in his last fight, and talked up a bout with Amir Khan in the aftermath.
Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Bellew cautioned that some patience might be warranted.
“I think he's an outstanding prospect,” he said of Benn.
“But I also see that he can't be rushed at the minute. The Vargas fight one step, now. Everybody expects him to be jumping on the likes of Amir Khan right now, you need to just hold for a second.
“Vargas is a good win, (Adrian) Granados is another step in the right direction, but this level needs to be maintained for a little bit. And that that's a little bit critical of him. But it's only critical in the right context. I'm saying it for a reason.
"You know, Tasha Jonas, I've known her since she was a kid to talk to Jonas and the Bellew family are quite close. But I understand Tasha makes mistakes. So I can tell them and I can say it on screen too, because they're not overdue criticism. It's not too much. It's just fact. It's what I'm seeing.”
Asked if Shawn Porter would be the right kind of opponent, he was reticent.
“If I'm making the match, I don't like the Shawn Porter fight right now,” he warned.
“Not yet. Not yet. I think he’s a confident young man. Yes. To be honest. He's one of the best prospects in world boxing. I think the only prospect in world boxing better than Conor Benn is Shakur Stevenson.
““He comes in at times and he's got no regard for what's coming back because he's so vicious. He's so intent on getting the job done. That's a flaw. You have to be wary of what's coming back at times.
"And as I say that there's these slight things that he will pick up on in the next six to 12 months. Just let's take our time. Shawn Porter is a veteran and a very tough, hard-hitting veteran. Tough fit, durable.”