Eddie Hearn comments on Conor Benn’s move to Zuffa Boxing
The boxing world was stunned to see Benn sign to Zuffa Boxing in a one-fight deal that will reportedly earn him a $15 million paycheck.
Even though it’s just for one fight, there’s no question this is their biggest signing yet, especially as they look to establish themselves in the UK market.
Adding another layer is the back-and-forth between Dana White and Hearn, now that they’re both competing in the same space.
The Matchroom Sport chairman admitted he felt responsible for letting one of his top fighters slip away to a rival promotion.
Eddie Hearn says he tried to speak with Conor Benn after his Zuffa Boxing move but was declined
Conor Benn has explained that the offer from Zuffa Boxing was too good to refuse, which makes sense given the size of the payday awaiting him for just one fight before hitting free agency.
Still, walking away from Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport after all they’ve been through together wasn’t a simple decision.
Benn’s two fights against Chris Eubank Jr helped cement his place as one of Matchroom’s top names, even though there had been some setbacks along the way.
In an interview with iFL TV, Hearn spoke about his disappointment, admitting that he probably relied too much on loyalty and didn’t push hard enough to secure a new deal with Benn sooner.
That feeling grew stronger when Benn turned down his request for a conversation about the move.
“When I received the email from his lawyer, I text him and said, ‘I think we should have a call,’” Hearn said. “‘I think, for everything I’ve done for you, I think I deserve a call’ and he said no. I was like, ‘Man, f—. I can’t believe it.’ I just, I don’t know what to say.”
“I felt that everything that we gave him,” he continued. “The loyalty that we gave him. The support we gave him would be enough to talk it through or just get close to a number but it wasn’t really the interest so very surprising very painful.”
Eddie Hearn explains why he isn’t worried about losing Anthony Joshua
With Katie Taylor’s career winding down, it’s easy to make the case that Conor Benn was second only to Anthony Joshua in terms of value on Eddie Hearn’s roster.
He addressed the situation in an interview with iFL TV, explaining why he doesn’t believe there’s any risk of Joshua following Benn out the door.
“Joshua, you can’t mention those two in the same name for many, many reasons,” he said. “Joshua’s a different breed of class and loyalty. Yeah, Joshua’s one of a kind. Joshua is someone that even if I made the mistake of trusting that loyalty, it would never be a mistake with him because he’s cut from a different cloth.”
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