Zuffa Boxing has unexpectedly signed welterweight sensation Conor Benn, who will now fight under their promotional banner.
On Friday, Zuffa released an announcement through a social media post that featured Conor
Benn, Dana White, and Nick Khan.
“I’m excited about this future. Let’s go,
” Benn stated in the
video.
Even though it is good news for him, Conor Benn is receiving backlash for what some are
calling a ‘dirty’ move.
Benn was previously signed to Matchroom Boxing with Eddie Hearn as his promoter.
These sentiments come from the fact that Dana White and Eddie Hearn have not seen eye to
eye recently. The duo has been exchanging harsh words for several weeks.
So it came as a surprise to most when Benn left his longtime promoter to join Zuffa.
Since Benn’s debut in 2016, Hearn has been actively involved in promoting his career.
When Benn faced scrutiny in 2020 because of a failed drug test, Eddie Hearn was among the
people who offered Conor his support and encouragement. Their relationship appeared to be
more than just a typical promoter-boxer dynamic.
This may look like a betrayal of trust, but ultimately, boxing is a free market where fighters,
especially at the world-class level, have a significant say in their career decisions.
It’s also a reminder for promoters about how they should approach negotiations with fighters
and their contracts.
Benn’s agreement with Matchroom had expired, enabling him to sign with different promoters.
Hearn mentioned that he looked forward to contract extension negotiations with Benn in the
near future, but this sadly failed to materialize.
Right now, Conor Benn is with Zuffa and a huge fight is next for him. Especially since it’s
rumoured, he signed for one fight that’ll pay him $15 million.
This deal is proof Zuffa’s aiming to be a big player in the boxing world. With Jai Opetaia, Callum
Walsh and Ife Ajagba on its roster, Zuffa is gearing up to deliver spectacular fights for boxing
