Blair Cobbs would face Manny Pacquiao or Conor Benn to get to Mario Barrios

Welterweight contender Blair Cobbs is hoping to parlay victories over Adrien Broner and Maurice Hooker – albeit two years apart – into a world title fight in 2025.

The outspoken contender, who fights out of Las Vegas, is 17-1-1 (10 KOs). The southpaw travelled to Hamburg earlier in December to petition for a shot at WBC champion Mario Barrios.

“The most important thing for me next is fighting Mario Barrios for the WBC world title,” Cobbs told BoxingScene. “As of right now, I’m one of the highest and most qualified fighters to do so. I have two world champions on my resume, which no one in the weight class has. And I have an actual big name on my resume that no one in the weight class actually [has].”

Against Broner, Cobbs won a WBC trinket and began calling himself “The People’s Champion.” Now Cobbs is using that as currency to get him the fight he wants. He feels as qualified as anybody else at 147lbs – a division that has noticeably quietened with the departure of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence to 154 and the retirement and inactivity of other leading names – to challenge the remaining stars. 

“Yeah, and in the competition, none of them is the People’s Champion,” Cobbs added. “In the competition, no one is more qualified. As of right now, I have three titles that’s from the sanctioned body the WBC. And that’s the junior NABF, the full NABF, and the People’s Championship.”

Cobbs defeated Broner in Florida in June, flooring him in the second round on his way to a decision over 10 frames.

Asked how satisfying it was to defeat Broner, Cobbs said: “It was satisfying to a point where I believe that I should have done enough to be put in a position to fight the big fights. The problem is that in boxing, the big fights don’t get made. The big fights don’t get made because of a lot of things that are stopping it with politics, business, and things like that. But Blair ‘The Flair’ aims to stop those things and put a halt to those things and make boxing great again by forcing these great fighters to fight Blair ‘The Flair.’”

Barrios is also reportedly on the wishlist of both Conor Benn and the currently retired Manny Pacquiao going into 2025, and Cobbs is happy to face either of them to get to Barrios should he have the chance.

“Like, if Pacquiao had to fight an eliminator to get a title shot and stuff like that,” said the 35-year-old. “Let’s put it like this, any one of those other fighters get the belt before me, they will play games and try to play managerial matchmaking games to not let the big fights happen. Me? I’ll fight anyone and everyone and dominate the sport. I think Conor Benn is doing the best that he can do to stay away from tough fights that might put him in compromised situations. But he is fighting and he is looking for greatness. But Blair ‘The Flair’ needs to be there first.”

Is the Benn fight one that interests him?

But Cobbs admitted he wants activity and that remains a priority.

“There’s a tiny bit of momentum. The only real momentum is consistency.

“Consistent fighting. For somebody like me, most people would rather not fight me for everything that comes with me. Things that come with me is the fact that you don’t really know what you’re dealing with. There’s not nearly enough content on me to really figure me out. I’m very unpredictable. And just when you thought you might have me, boom, you get knocked down or knocked out.”

Cobbs is still promoted by 93-year-old Don King, and has “a year or so left” on his agreement.

“As long as he’s healthy to promote and push the envelope for Blair ‘The Flair’ to be the best fighter, I will be with him,” said Cobbs. “I’m very happy with him.”