BoxRec

What is it with boxers and going to some kind of outer galaxy private school. First we had Danny Williams who needed to pay for his kids private education until they were thirty something


Now Connor Benn who apparently filling Tottenham twice in two of the biggest fights in uk boxing history and with world title fights looming, plus had a privileged life himself can’t afford private education for his kids.

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 09:23 Boxers move from one promoter to another all the time, it's part of the business. Some show loyalty, like AJ, but others jump ship like Fury and Whitaker. But to not even tell Eddie face to face after everything they've been through is gutless and the act of a guy that deep down, knows he ain't doing the right thing.

im sure hearn promoted frampton when there was talk of the quigg fight and hearn saying frampton would win and they split then promoted quigg and said quigg would win , it wouldn't shock me if eubank v benn 3 happened and hearn promoted eubank

rd350lc wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 15:43

KiwiRider wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 15:11

jameswilson wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 06:59 When was the last defection that was this big?

Froch to Hearn? Fury to Warren didn't feel like that much of a 'defection.' Almost like it happened in stages that Hennessy wasn't involved there. Frampton and Quigg sort of swapping promoters seemed quite a big one, added an edge and then Frampton going alone with McGuigan.

I do have to say when I saw the intragram post my jaw hit the floor with this one. I genuinely looked at the source and was like 'this has to be one of those fake news posts' and then slowly you realise 'jesus it's true.'

Maybe Eddie thought he had done all he could with Connor?
I didn't think there was much left for him after the first Eubank fight, and yet they curled out a rematch.
If another promotor wants to throw money Benn's way, good luck to them both, but there comes a time to cut loose and I trust Eddie's experience in so far as he chose the right time ..

I think this, he knew his ceiling long ago.

Oh for sure, that's why he never went for a title- even domestic!
But he still had value as an attraction because of the name and his action fighting style. He isn't boring, he just isn't very good.

KiwiRider wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 18:55

rd350lc wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 15:43

KiwiRider wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 15:11
Maybe Eddie thought he had done all he could with Connor?
I didn't think there was much left for him after the first Eubank fight, and yet they curled out a rematch.
If another promotor wants to throw money Benn's way, good luck to them both, but there comes a time to cut loose and I trust Eddie's experience in so far as he chose the right time ..

I think this, he knew his ceiling long ago.

Oh for sure, that's why he never went for a title- even domestic!
But he still had value as an attraction because of the name and his action fighting style. He isn't boring, he just isn't very good.

And here the problem arases for Dana how good is Benn we dont know being fed past the use by date fighters . Then the Eubank fights where we all know he faced a weight drained European level figher , hes always had every advantage thanks too Eddie . So what remains now is what the hell is Dana gonna do with him . Throw him in with Haney fight him at 154 against a top opponent . Alls i see at either 147 or 154 is Benn coppi g a hiding

These top dogs from the Usa are not going to be like Eubank and go in weight drained and sick the yanks just wont buy . ONLY chance of getting his money back is to fight a top Uk fighter under Dana i just cannot see the british paying to see Benn fight a lativian road sweeper over on holiday

The more i think about it the morre i see Benn has ruined his own well looked after carreer all for a couple of mill because remember at the initial 10 mill purse originaly quoted hes only gaining the difference between what Eddie would of payed him and what he,s actually getting . Plus with eddie it would of been ongoing i think Dana has just blew millions of tut tuts money just to score brownie points over Hearn

Yepmore i think about it more i see Hearn is the winner here theres better fighters Eddie can now back

If they signed him I'd imagine they proposed a multi fight deal.
There was talk it was a one fight deal.
Where are they on that ?

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 04:17 If they signed him I'd imagine they proposed a multi fight deal.
There was talk it was a one fight deal.
Where are they on that ?

They said its a one fight deal , but logicly you would have to say thats terrible buisness and throwing money away ,, so you would'nt believe it ,

but then again Dana strikes me has a very vindictive guy with a massive ego , and he's not spending his own money so it wol'nt suprise me if its just a case of paying the big money just to take Eddies prize asset away . When he sits and thinks bout it Eddie will probably think Danas done me a favor , Benn was well looked after which would of come at great expense , according to Eddie after Eggsgate Benn was broke and Eddie had to front up money so he could pay bills , Not long after ,Benn is publicly bragging he's a muti millionaire so he would of been on good money and not wanted to go back on it , yet who except Eubank could Eddie put him in with generate the big money and keep him winning , someon else pointed out Paccy , but i doubt even paccy would do it .

Eddies got rid of a future headache not star

Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

I could see a Matchroom Zuffa hook up if anything

Benn vs Walsh for the Zuffa belt.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:21 Benn vs Walsh for the Zuffa belt.

I like Callum Walsh, he's a good operator and it would be a tear up. If it happens and the belt is on the line, the title defines itself.

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:01 Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:58

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:01 Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

How do you know he's being paid that ?

Benn’s opened up on the split further and now saying there could be a Eubank trilogy

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 16:07

joshj909 wrote: ↑22 Feb 2026, 16:05 Based on Dana's comments. How much do we think this is just Dana trying to get one over on Eddie? Realistically, this sounds like a bad financial investment from Zuffa to pay Benn 10m. Even if Benn goes against Pac or Garcia, they could make equally as good money with someone else but paying them far less.

This one definitely has Turki’s backing.

He’s paying the money. I mean he paid him £8m for his Eubank fight.

Imagine all them UFC stars? I’d be pissed if this was on Zuffa.

Cross over fights with a boxing name going to UFC?

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 06:04

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:58

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:01 Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

How do you know he's being paid that ?

Ok, maybe $10m, not £10m

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:58

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:01 Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

It's not Dana's money.

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 06:48

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:58

Evander wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:01 Ok
I'm reading between the lines obviously.
Don't see the value in taking away an Eddie Hearn asset out of spite.
That doesnt sound like Dana White unless there's a something bigger at play.

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

It's not Dana's money.

Correct and it never was in the UFC either. However, the business is way overpaying for an asset which means there must be another motive, whether it's a primary or secondary motive. Regardless of whether the business model is profitability, there are tonnes of bigger and better stars out there he could've got with that money. There are other boxers he could've paid to face Garcia or Pacquiao for less money which would've brought in an equal return.

It will be one fight with options for zuffa to extend, not one fight and free agency. Nobody is signing a one-and-free for that kind of money, if the money is true.

Don't be surprised if they sign Eubank and limp the trilogy out on ppv.

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 07:30

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 06:48

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 05:58

Dana has done many things out of spite in the UFC. He refused to sign certain stars, he kicked out certain stars. He had public falling outs with others with regards to contracts and has ended up slating them publicly over and over again. It could be somewhat out of spite but with it being as part of a larger project, however, there's no way paying Benn £10m for a fight repays itself unless he's heavily underpaying his opponent.

It's not Dana's money.

Correct and it never was in the UFC either. However, the business is way overpaying for an asset which means there must be another motive, whether it's a primary or secondary motive. Regardless of whether the business model is profitability, there are tonnes of bigger and better stars out there he could've got with that money. There are other boxers he could've paid to face Garcia or Pacquiao for less money which would've brought in an equal return.

I think it'll be Usyk next.

Still, at least all this gives us something to gossip about

Barry Hearn hugely disappointed with “classless” Conor Benn

Barry Hearn, the father of Eddie Hearn and founder of Matchroom, has voiced his dismay at Conor Benn’s “horrible and outrageous” decision to leave the promotional outfit and sign a contract with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.

The news stunned the boxing world last week. A boxer leaving a promoter is nothing new but this seemed like an unbreakable relationship after Eddie guided Benn through a particularly rocky period of his career when he failed two separate drug tests in 2022. Matchroom stood by Benn, even after he was twice provisionally suspended by UKAD during a long and winding legal battle.

It would take three years for Benn to breathe new life into his reputation when he defeated Chris Eubank Jnr last November, seven months after losing their first fight.

“It’s very difficult because boxers do come and go,” Barry Hearn told TalkSport on Monday. “But this wasn’t the average relationship; this was special. Conor was as close as he could have been to being part of the family and for him to make a decision like this, without even a phone call… Eddie, by text, suggested that they meet to discuss it and Conor suggested it was best to go through lawyers. After 10 years of what we’ve gone through with him, I think in my 50-odd years of promoting sport, this is the most horrible, outrageous… I can’t describe the feeling of being let down.”

Eddie Hearn spoke of his own heartbreak over the weekend. Benn has since explained he was made a financial offer that only a “mentally ill person” would turn down. His lone motive, claimed the 29-year-old, was to secure his family’s future.

Barry wished Conor the best of luck. But the manner of Benn’s departure has clearly hurt the veteran promoter.

“It’s a classless way of doing it,” Hearn, 77, said. “You have to bear in mind we took a lot of bullets over this. We took a lot of stick, the reputation of our company, our personal reputations when we went to a guy who had failed a drug test twice and we said, ‘No, we believe in him.’ We stood in his corner, as I would always expect Matchroom to do because we have high standards but those standards have not been reciprocated. That is deeply upsetting, and it is personal. We loved the kid; we’d been with him from day one.”

The split comes in the thick of an increasingly public rivalry between Eddie Hearn and Dana White, making Benn’s decision even harder to swallow.

“I didn’t think he was that kind of boy but maybe we got it wrong with Conor,” Barry went on. “Maybe we took his side and we believed everything he said and maybe we were wrong; I hope not. But it is personally disappointing because it goes beyond money. He’s obviously received a huge offer from Dana White and his team. Dana has got to make some waves in boxing and he’s got Turki Alalshikh’s money behind him so he needs to sign fighters.

“The team that built Conor Benn is in place and each one of that team would have taken a bullet for him at ringside. You don’t often get that in life and react like this. It’s deeply upsetting.”

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 08:02

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 07:30

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 06:48

It's not Dana's money.

Correct and it never was in the UFC either. However, the business is way overpaying for an asset which means there must be another motive, whether it's a primary or secondary motive. Regardless of whether the business model is profitability, there are tonnes of bigger and better stars out there he could've got with that money. There are other boxers he could've paid to face Garcia or Pacquiao for less money which would've brought in an equal return.

I think it'll be Usyk next.

I'm not sure. Usyk is clearly targeting legacy and money but would completely he sacrifice one for the other? If he signs for Zuffa, at best, they could offer him Ruiz or Opetaia. I don't see him having any interest in Ajagba or anyone worse than that. I could see it as plausible for a one fight deal but I can't see him signing up for 3-4 fights when all of his legitimate opponents for legacy (however he perceives it) are outside of the Zuffa circle.

Does every fighter have to sign with Zuffa to fight for them? What about the journeymen?

JamesPhilips wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 11:07 Does every fighter have to sign with Zuffa to fight for them? What about the journeymen?

i'm guessing they'll use some on fight-by-fight deals. Ready available..

If they impress or win, when they're not supposed to, i'm sure they'll get another deal.