Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing
Not a fan of his, but begrudging props to Benn for the purses he's received for his last three fights. We all seem to agree that he is, at best, a continental-level boxer, but he has somehow managed to leverage those talents into three significant elite-level paydays.
-
Controversial
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 9152
- Joined: 13 Jul 2002, 18:29
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing
He's taken full advantage of his dad's name, the fact there was another Eubank around and social media so fair play to him. Boxing has always been about ticket sellers and if you create enough noise, interest and controversy you will put yourself in a better place. Considering he had little to none amateur background and average ability he's done very well, he keeps himself in very good shape and has drive and determination. He reminds me of those people in the work place that aren't the best but shout the loudest, push themselves to the front and end up getting promoted while the quieter better workers get overlooked.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing
Conor Benn refused fights with two world champions says Eddie Hearn
Eddie Hearn has revealed that Conor Benn shot down the idea of fights with two reigning world champions before their promotional split.
Benn twice fought Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight during 2025, avenging his first career defeat in their November rematch before announcing a planned return to the welterweight division.
‘The Destroyer’ then made the surprising move from career-long promoter Hearn to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing – albeit for a one-fight deal – and marked this partnership with decision win against Regis Prograis this past weekend.
Underwhelmed by the performance of his former fighter, Hearn told Boxing Now that he believes Benn to be more effective at super-welterweight or even middleweight. The promoter then revealed that he had presented the opportunity to face IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker, or compete against the IBF’s 154 champion, Josh Kelly.
“He knows his level. I wanted him to fight Lewis Crocker. We went for lunch and I said, ‘mate, you could fight Lewis Crocker, that is a great fight. That is a very tough fight but, if you win that fight, you are a world champion’.
“[He said], ‘I don’t want to fight Lewis Crocker, I don’t like Billy Nelson [Crocker’s previous trainer]’, I said ‘What the f**k has that got to do with it? Just fight him’. Then, we talked about Josh Kelly, [he said], ‘Nah, f**k Josh Kelly’.”
“I actually think that he is right [to do that] because he is only going to make a few million to fight those guys and Zuffa just sp**ked their load giving him 15 [million] to fight a bloke who couldn’t even stand up!”
Though Benn was uninterested in those champions, he has made it absolutely clear that he wants WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia next, and talks seem to be progressing quickly.
Eddie Hearn has revealed that Conor Benn shot down the idea of fights with two reigning world champions before their promotional split.
Benn twice fought Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight during 2025, avenging his first career defeat in their November rematch before announcing a planned return to the welterweight division.
‘The Destroyer’ then made the surprising move from career-long promoter Hearn to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing – albeit for a one-fight deal – and marked this partnership with decision win against Regis Prograis this past weekend.
Underwhelmed by the performance of his former fighter, Hearn told Boxing Now that he believes Benn to be more effective at super-welterweight or even middleweight. The promoter then revealed that he had presented the opportunity to face IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker, or compete against the IBF’s 154 champion, Josh Kelly.
“He knows his level. I wanted him to fight Lewis Crocker. We went for lunch and I said, ‘mate, you could fight Lewis Crocker, that is a great fight. That is a very tough fight but, if you win that fight, you are a world champion’.
“[He said], ‘I don’t want to fight Lewis Crocker, I don’t like Billy Nelson [Crocker’s previous trainer]’, I said ‘What the f**k has that got to do with it? Just fight him’. Then, we talked about Josh Kelly, [he said], ‘Nah, f**k Josh Kelly’.”
“I actually think that he is right [to do that] because he is only going to make a few million to fight those guys and Zuffa just sp**ked their load giving him 15 [million] to fight a bloke who couldn’t even stand up!”
Though Benn was uninterested in those champions, he has made it absolutely clear that he wants WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia next, and talks seem to be progressing quickly.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing
it's coming out now ini??

-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing
He’s signed a multi-fight, multi-year contract with Zuffa.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
They’ll have him on a UK card and will be PPV Cus they have Sky contract.
He wants Vegas next.
Who’s he supposed to fight though?
160?
147?
He wants Vegas next.
Who’s he supposed to fight though?
160?
147?
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Personally, I don't think he can compete with any of the top fighters at 160, or even the fighters Zuffa has at that weight (the likes of Bohachuk, Mosley Jr., Misael Rodriguez, Katzourakis, and Butaev). I also wonder if he can manage to get down to 147 and still be an effective boxer.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑17 Apr 2026, 12:35 They’ll have him on a UK card and will be PPV Cus they have Sky contract.
He wants Vegas next.
Who’s he supposed to fight though?
160?
147?
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
-
keithmoonhangover
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 16751
- Joined: 16 Sep 2010, 10:42
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Zuffa didn't even promote his last fight. I guess in the mad world we live in, that doesn't matter.
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Am I missing something here?keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑17 Apr 2026, 14:11Zuffa didn't even promote his last fight. I guess in the mad world we live in, that doesn't matter.
-
keithmoonhangover
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 16751
- Joined: 16 Sep 2010, 10:42
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Missing what? Zuffa didn't promote the Fury and Benn bill.Bercli wrote: ↑17 Apr 2026, 17:26Am I missing something here?keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑17 Apr 2026, 14:11Zuffa didn't even promote his last fight. I guess in the mad world we live in, that doesn't matter.
-
black panther
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 4089
- Joined: 11 Dec 2003, 07:06
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Benn got paid 15 million to fight the shot to bits, injured Regais Prograis?
He has played an absolute blinder. These Saudis are literally burning through cash.
He has played an absolute blinder. These Saudis are literally burning through cash.
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Conor is 💩 nothing else to say other than to say i am surprised there hasn't been another adverse finding
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
He will surely be at WrestleMania this weeekend and they will show him and do a shoutout no doubt.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
CB: ‘I want Ryan Garcia next (but no talks yet), Shakur is boring & will never be in exciting fights, but I’ll give the public what they want, just no more southpaws
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Benn can certainly beat 5 dudes, but not 5 Championship level guys. Ryan Garcia might need to be the 3rd or 4th fight of that 5 fight deal just for good measure.
-
johnmanchester
- Light Flyweight
- Posts: 245
- Joined: 12 May 2025, 04:36
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
As an aside: it's weird that the current hot cutting edge fashion trend is dressing like pop-punk bands from the late 90s /early 2000sRuthless-RKO wrote: ↑18 Apr 2026, 00:26 He will surely be at WrestleMania this weeekend and they will show him and do a shoutout no doubt.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Conor Benn signs five-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing – but what now?
Conor Benn is a mercenary no more. Call him a Zuffa company man.
After walking away from longtime promoter Matchroom Boxing to sign a one-fight deal that he parlayed into a win over Regis Prograis in April, Benn has locked into a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing that should carry the 29-year-old through much of the prime of his remaining career.
Benn, 25-1 (14 KOs), a welterweight from Essex, England, and son of two-weight titleholder Nigel Benn, signed a reported five-fight deal that was announced on Zuffa Boxing’s social media channels Friday.
“Our visions were aligned,” Conor Benn said of the new promotional union. “Our goal remains the same – to get that world title, but more importantly, to get people the fights that they want. Give people the megafights. If you guys want it, you guys can get it.”
Public details of the contract and immediate plans for Benn were limited, though in a joint appearance with Benn on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday, Zuffa Boxing CEO and president Dana White described it as “a two-and-a-half-year, five-fight deal.”
White, who, along with Saudi Arabian financier and General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh, launched Zuffa Boxing in January, has vowed to create the new boxing promotion in the image of the UFC – the other major combat sports interest he presides over – and continues to steadily building the promotion’s roster.
“We’re ready to put on some big fights,” White said in the video announcement of Benn’s deal on Zuffa Boxing’s socials.
Precisely what that means for Benn isn’t yet known, but it’s clear what he wants. After rebounding from a unanimous decision loss with a win in the rubber match with fellow scion of British boxing royalty Chris Eubank Jnr, Benn rode his rising fame to a one-off deal with Zuffa, a solid win over a shopworn former titleholder in Prograis and is now hoping to speak into existence a matchup with current WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia.
“Of course it’s the priority, getting that Garcia fight done,” Benn said in a Friday interview with Sky Sports. “But, listen, I’m not short of options. There’s a lot of fighters calling me out, big names calling me out.
“So, God willing, we get the Garcia fight done for the WBC world title. You know, I’m mandatory now – I’m in the No. 1 position for that belt, and I’ve worked extremely hard to get to that position. But again, if Ryan don’t want it, then there’s plenty of fish out there.”
Conor Benn explains what his priorities are, having signed with Zuffa Boxing
pic.twitter.com/MYc7hE5L2k
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) April 17, 2026
Benn may already be fishing when it comes to targeting Garcia, 25-2 (20 KOs), for a megafight. Garcia is aligned with Golden Boy Promotions, whose CEO and chairman Oscar De La Hoya has frequently feuded with White. Even if the salve of a massive payday for all soothed hurt feelings, Benn and Garcia might still have a sanctioning body problem to solve.
As part of his UFC-style vision, White has attempted to build Zuffa as an independent ecosystem, ignoring boxing’s traditional four major sanctioning bodies. But White has tried to both have and eat his cake, the best example being a Zuffa bait-and-switch that resulted in the IBF stripping cruiserweight titleholder Jai Opetaia after his March win over Brandon Glanton.
If the WBC reacts similarly, and if White doesn’t play nice with De La Hoya – which he has rarely deigned to do with anyone he considers a rival – a Benn-Garcia fight may be dead on arrival.
Benn has his big contract. But whether the big fights White is promising him are also on the way is far less certain.
Conor Benn is a mercenary no more. Call him a Zuffa company man.
After walking away from longtime promoter Matchroom Boxing to sign a one-fight deal that he parlayed into a win over Regis Prograis in April, Benn has locked into a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing that should carry the 29-year-old through much of the prime of his remaining career.
Benn, 25-1 (14 KOs), a welterweight from Essex, England, and son of two-weight titleholder Nigel Benn, signed a reported five-fight deal that was announced on Zuffa Boxing’s social media channels Friday.
“Our visions were aligned,” Conor Benn said of the new promotional union. “Our goal remains the same – to get that world title, but more importantly, to get people the fights that they want. Give people the megafights. If you guys want it, you guys can get it.”
Public details of the contract and immediate plans for Benn were limited, though in a joint appearance with Benn on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday, Zuffa Boxing CEO and president Dana White described it as “a two-and-a-half-year, five-fight deal.”
White, who, along with Saudi Arabian financier and General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh, launched Zuffa Boxing in January, has vowed to create the new boxing promotion in the image of the UFC – the other major combat sports interest he presides over – and continues to steadily building the promotion’s roster.
“We’re ready to put on some big fights,” White said in the video announcement of Benn’s deal on Zuffa Boxing’s socials.
Precisely what that means for Benn isn’t yet known, but it’s clear what he wants. After rebounding from a unanimous decision loss with a win in the rubber match with fellow scion of British boxing royalty Chris Eubank Jnr, Benn rode his rising fame to a one-off deal with Zuffa, a solid win over a shopworn former titleholder in Prograis and is now hoping to speak into existence a matchup with current WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia.
“Of course it’s the priority, getting that Garcia fight done,” Benn said in a Friday interview with Sky Sports. “But, listen, I’m not short of options. There’s a lot of fighters calling me out, big names calling me out.
“So, God willing, we get the Garcia fight done for the WBC world title. You know, I’m mandatory now – I’m in the No. 1 position for that belt, and I’ve worked extremely hard to get to that position. But again, if Ryan don’t want it, then there’s plenty of fish out there.”
Conor Benn explains what his priorities are, having signed with Zuffa Boxing
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) April 17, 2026
Benn may already be fishing when it comes to targeting Garcia, 25-2 (20 KOs), for a megafight. Garcia is aligned with Golden Boy Promotions, whose CEO and chairman Oscar De La Hoya has frequently feuded with White. Even if the salve of a massive payday for all soothed hurt feelings, Benn and Garcia might still have a sanctioning body problem to solve.
As part of his UFC-style vision, White has attempted to build Zuffa as an independent ecosystem, ignoring boxing’s traditional four major sanctioning bodies. But White has tried to both have and eat his cake, the best example being a Zuffa bait-and-switch that resulted in the IBF stripping cruiserweight titleholder Jai Opetaia after his March win over Brandon Glanton.
If the WBC reacts similarly, and if White doesn’t play nice with De La Hoya – which he has rarely deigned to do with anyone he considers a rival – a Benn-Garcia fight may be dead on arrival.
Benn has his big contract. But whether the big fights White is promising him are also on the way is far less certain.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100694
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
Depending on when these 5 fights are or how long they take to happen, he may retire after this.#
but he was asked why he didn't retire now after earning over £30m before cuts in his last 3 fights, and he said he wanted a legacy.
if it doesn't work out, then he can retire anytime knowing he's secured financially.
but he was asked why he didn't retire now after earning over £30m before cuts in his last 3 fights, and he said he wanted a legacy.
if it doesn't work out, then he can retire anytime knowing he's secured financially.
Re: Conor Benn Signs with Zuffa Boxing (again)
His only legacy is that of a drug cheatRuthless-RKO wrote: ↑18 Apr 2026, 04:53 Depending on when these 5 fights are or how long they take to happen, he may retire after this.#
but he was asked why he didn't retire now after earning over £30m before cuts in his last 3 fights, and he said he wanted a legacy.
if it doesn't work out, then he can retire anytime knowing he's secured financially.