Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has issued his first public remarks after Conor Benn parted ways to sign with Zuffa Boxing.
Conor Benn and Dana White nearly broke the internet on Friday when it was announced that the two sides agreed to a lucrative, one-fight deal under Zuffa Boxing. The deal is reportedly worth eight figures and could potentially be extended after Benn’s planned return to the ring.
Benn, 24-1 in his professional boxing career, signed one of the biggest contracts in recent boxing history. It was a massive win for White and Zuffa Boxing as the promotion continues to add top-tier talent to its roster.
On the contrary, it was a big loss for Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who represented Benn for the entirety of his career to date. White and Hearn have ignited one of boxing’s newest rivalries, and the two sides have traded barbs in the media for weeks.
For the first time since the historic announcement, Hearn has spoken on Benn’s new contract and accused the young boxer of refusing a good-faith phone call.
Eddie Hearn: ‘I misjudged Conor Benn’s character’ after Zuffa Boxing announcement
In a recent interview with IFL TV, Hearn issued his first public remarks on Benn’s Zuffa Boxing deal.
“I’ve known about this for a few days now, and I actually received an email from Conor Benn’s lawyer to make me aware of it. I’m not going to sit here and hang Conor Benn out to dry, but I’ve got to be honest with you, me personally, I’m pretty devastated,” Hearn said of Benn.
“I’ve had a few days to digest what might happen, so maybe this is different to what it would’ve been a couple days ago. It’s not often you get shocked. I blame myself, because I just forgot it was boxing. Just felt that the loyalty that we’ve shown, would never, ever had put us in this position, and I just felt that I never really needed to push Conor Benn to sign a new contract, previously. And I probably could’ve gotten him to sign a new contract, and like I said, I blame myself, and I made a mistake and misjudged the character.
“When I received the email from Conor Benn’s lawyer, I texted him and said ‘I think we should have a call. For everything I’ve done for you, I deserve a call’. And he said no – and I can’t believe it,” Hearn continued. “I just felt that everything that we gave him, the loyalty, support, would’ve been enough to talk it through or just get close to a number. But it wasn’t really the interest, so very surprising and very painful.”
Hearn has represented world champions like Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, and Anthony Joshua during his career in boxing. Meanwhile, Benn is looking to return to the ring after a stunning win over Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch last year.
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