When Dana White and Zuffa Boxing announced the shocking signing of British welterweight star Conor Benn on Friday, it was a move that stunned everyone within the sport. Benn had been with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom promotional stable since his professional debut in 2016 and the pair had overcome a significant amount of adversity in their journey to Benn becoming one of boxing's biggest attractions.
Hearn reacted to Benn's departure on iFL TV just a few hours after the announcement. In a somber conversation, the Matchroom headman acknowledged that he was "pretty devastated" by the news.
"I blame myself because I just forgot it was boxing. I just felt that the loyalty that we've shown [Benn] would never, ever put us in this position. I just felt that I never really needed to push Conor Benn to sign a new contract previously, and I probably could have got him to sign a new contract previously. But like I said, I blame myself.
"I made a mistake because I misjudged the character. And again, I'm not going to hang him out to dry on it. He will say, 'It was a big offer, right?' But, you know, when I received the email from his lawyer, I texted him and said, 'I think we should have a call. I think for everything I've done for you, I think I deserve a call.' And he said, 'No.' And I was like, 'Man, f***, I can't believe it.'
"I just don't know what to say other than I just felt that everything that we gave him, the loyalty that we gave him, the support we gave him, would be enough to talk it through — or just, you know, get close to a number. But it wasn't. It wasn't really the interest. So very, very surprising, very, very painful."
Hearn has had many fighters walk away from his promotion over his 15-year career in boxing promotion, but none as agonizing as Benn's exit from Matchroom. Just days prior, Matchroom announced a five-year extension with DAZN, and Benn's face was portrayed as one of the focal points of their stable.
According to Hearn, Benn messaged him after Friday's announcement of the signing, and things were not left on good terms.
"I've had a couple of texts, [because Benn] texted me just after the announcement. And I replied, you know, we had a few back-and-forths, but you either feel like you've done nothing wrong or you're — like I say, everyone's different."
"[It] feels a little bit of a wasted few years, [because] I gave a lot. I gave a lot. You know how hard I fought [for Benn]. You know when no one believed him, no one backed him, I did. I believed him and I backed him and I never gave in. When he was done, [I] loaned him hundreds of thousands of pounds."
Benn failed two drug tests for the banned substance clomifene in the summer of 2022. What ensued was a two-year process for Benn to clear his name. During that time, many in boxing turned against Benn, including the British public. Hearn, however, stood by Benn all the way through, insisting that he believed his fighter was innocent.
Hearn suffered plenty of criticism from boxing fans for supporting someone who they felt had tried to cheat the sport. The Benn saga was the main talking point in multiple battles between Hearn and talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan, which made headlines across Britain. Yet the British promoter vehemently defended his fighter at every turn, even financially supporting him so Benn could pay his legal fees during the process. Hearn said that the cancellation of the original Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Benn fight had cost him well over £1 million.
Benn is managed by Keith Connolly, who also represents Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins, both of whom left Hearn's Matchroom in recent years. Hitchins famously declared his free agency in the ring after his successful title defense against George Kambosos this past June — a move which angered Hearn severely.
"I blame myself," Hearn concluded of Benn. "I got the character wrong. I took the loyalty for granted because of what I did, and I shouldn't have done that. And I've made that mistake before in boxing, but I just didn't expect it from Conor Benn. So like I said, maybe he's not quite the person I thought he was. I don't know. Look, maybe we'll talk [with Benn] in the future, but what can I say?"