Re: Zuffa Boxing have signed a long-term broadcast deal with Paramount+
Posted: 21 Feb 2026, 03:51
Is it true they signed Connor Benn ?
You'd think that would put an end to any Bam Vs Inoue fight. That's Bam's biggest possible payday and one of the biggest fights in boxing in terms of skill-level.
How did Eddie Hearn risk his image with him?Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 04:46 Imagine risking your image for a drug cheat and he doesn't even wanna call you. Must sting![]()
By defending a Benn who popped for an illegal substance and STILL pushed for the fight to be held.gilgamesh wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 05:18How did Eddie Hearn risk his image with him?Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 04:46 Imagine risking your image for a drug cheat and he doesn't even wanna call you. Must sting![]()
Eddie matched the Zuffa offer, Bam is staying with Matchroom.
Seems to me like he just made money off of a guy who had market value.Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 05:54By defending a Benn who popped for an illegal substance and STILL pushed for the fight to be held.gilgamesh wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 05:18How did Eddie Hearn risk his image with him?Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 04:46 Imagine risking your image for a drug cheat and he doesn't even wanna call you. Must sting![]()
Not saying he didn't.gilgamesh wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 12:55Seems to me like he just made money off of a guy who had market value.Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 05:54By defending a Benn who popped for an illegal substance and STILL pushed for the fight to be held.
He's a Promoter. Who needs credibility? Don King made millions without a shred of it for decades.Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 15:36Nobody said he didn't make money. The point is he traded his credibility for it.
Hearn isn't Don King, though.gilgamesh wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 15:46He's a Promoter. Who needs credibility? Don King made millions without a shred of it for decades.Sendo Takeshi wrote: ↑21 Feb 2026, 15:36Nobody said he didn't make money. The point is he traded his credibility for it.
One thing that Dana really hadn't considered is how stupid Zuffa sounds. All of the sanctioning bodies have meaning behind their acronyms and it makes sense. Zuffa sounds stupid. If all of the other belts disappear and all that is left is for people to call themselves the Zuffa World Champion, do they not see how bad that sounds?Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑23 Feb 2026, 11:26 Zuffa Boxing contact British Boxing Board of Control in hope of legitimizing their new belt
A representative of Zuffa Boxing has contacted the British Boxing Board of Control about the possibility of the recently created Zuffa belt being recognized in the UK.
It’s been a publicity-heavy period for Dana White’s organization with Turki Alalshikh last week unveiling the new belt, which will first be contested at cruiserweight by Jai Opetaia and Brandon Glanton on March 8, and then the surprising signing of Conor Benn.
Benn, who leaves behind Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, is targeting a shot at newly minted WBC welterweight beltholder Ryan Garcia but there has been speculation that his next fight will be for the new Zuffa title instead.
“I’ve had verbal conversations with the UK representative of Zuffa Boxing about the possibility of the belt being recognized here in the future,” the General Secretary of the BBBoC Robert Smith told BS. “It was just a conversation at this stage, no formal request was made.”
As things stand, the BBBoC only recognizes belts from the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and the IBO. Lesser bodies have seen their requests to sanction fights under the governance of the BBBoC rejected in the past.
However, White has made it clear that Zuffa is not here to just be another sanctioning body. As a promotional powerhouse, with designs on making their belt the only belt worth fighting for, the desire for greater control is clear.
“We’re with the five sanctioning bodies and there are no plans to add any more,” Smith said. “But should we get a formal request from Zuffa, alongside the evidence and further information that we would require, then [recognizing the belt] is something that we could consider.
“But the belts do not alter who is in control of the event. Belts are from sanctioning bodies, we remain the governing body. The Board regulates the [event]. That won’t change.”