Boxxer CEO Ben Shalom has shared his thoughts after the shock announcement that Conor Benn has left career-long promoter Eddie Hearn in favour of signing with rival Dana White and his new promotional outfit, Zuffa Boxing.
Benn debuted professionally with Matchroom Boxing and has remained with the company throughout his 25-fight career, with Hearn famously sticking by his side despite him testing positive for a performance enhancing drug in 2022.
Now, after two fights with Chris Eubank Jr turned Benn into a bigger star, ‘The Destroyer’ has opted to join Zuffa Boxing, at least for one fight, leaving Hearn without one of his poster boy fighters in a dramatic turn of events.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, another of Hearn’s rivals, Ben Shalom, sympathised with his fellow Briton, believing that Benn was likely advised to make the move by another member of his team, that does not understand or appreciate the promoter-fighter relationship.
“Promoters are always made out like the bad ones of this and that but you have fighters, especially ones that you start with, that are leaning on you.
“They are telling you that they want to get to the top, ‘can you just do this’ and ‘can you just do that’, ultimately you back the ones that you think are going to get there and make the most money.
“I can sympathise [with Hearn] and usually it is the people around these guys [fighters], the ones that need a change and get power by moving.”
However, despite the empathy, Shalom saw the irony in the move and admitted that the outrage from Hearn and Matchroom has confused him.
“To be honest, the way they [Hearn/Matchroom] reacted, I thought it was a parody. I thought it was a complete joke.
“I mean, they have been doing this to fighters and taking various fighters, that have been built up by other promoters, for a long time, and putting it down to money and ‘short careers’, putting it down to ‘there is no loyalty in boxing’ and glorifying it, taking the Mickey with it.
“I genuinely could not believe the reaction to Conor going to the highest bidder.”
Benn is set to debut with Zuffa Boxing on the Fury-Makhmudov undercard, taking on former super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis in a 150lb catchweight affair.