Frank Smith has come out firing against promotional rival Boxxer by stating that, “there is one thing that I know about Ben Shalom that would end him.”
The Matchroom Boxing CEO, who is married to Chris Eubank Jr’s sister, has been accused of being disloyal to his family by Shalom on TalkSport, saying: “Frank Smith chose Conor Benn over his own brother-in-law and then wants to talk about loyalty!”
Shalom currently promotes Eubank Jr. and has been in a very public spat with Matchroom, which has seen Benn and Eubank Jr. win a fight each in a needle-ridden double-header last year.
“In ten years Chris has never tried to have a conversation about anything,” Smith said in an interview with IFL TV. “He’s never asked, how are you? How’s your brother or how’s your sister? Infrequently I’ve spent Christmas with him. As you can imagine, talking with Chris is quite tough. He’s the character that he is.
“So, I don’t have an unwavering loyalty to Chris Eubank Jr. because I don’t have a relationship with Chris Eubank Jr. I have an unwavering loyalty to my Mrs. I would do anything for my Mrs. But, I have a job as well, where I’ve built a loyalty with Conor Benn. When it came to the situation with Conor and Chris? At the time, I stepped away as much as I could.”
Benn caused a stir in the boxing world by leaving Matchroom for promotional rivals Zuffa Boxing, fronted by UFC president Dana White. The British star reportedly signed a one-fight deal worth $15 million and will face Regis Prograis on the Tyson Fury–Arslanbek Makhmudov undercard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11.
“I never wrote it off, especially with the people around him,” Smith explained on Benn’s perceived loyalty. “He’s got a new manager in Keith Connolly who doesn’t care about relationships. A lot of people are driven by short-term gain.
“Our relationship was always up and down. Conor likes people around him, not just Conor, but a lot of athletes and famous people, who like people who blow smoke up their arse. That’s the reality of it, I’m not your guy for that.”
Smith and Shalom have been slinging mud at each other on various media outlets, with no end in sight.
“My dislike for him is for one sole reason, which a lot of people know in private,” Smith added. “I know things that could end his career.”