Eddie Hearn has been left shocked and angry after Conor Benn ended their 10-year promotional relationship via email.
The boxing world was stunned on Friday night when Benn announced he had jumped ship to Zuffa, the fledgling company set up by UFC founder Dana White, despite spending his entire professional career within Hearn’s Matchroom stable.
Hearn has stated he was ‘devastated’ by the development, having stood by Benn during the two-year doping saga that originated after Daily Mail Sport revealed the fighter had tested positive for the banned fertility drug clomiphene.
According to interviews done by Hearn on Saturday, he had ‘loaned him (Benn) hundreds of thousands of pounds’ earlier in his career, at a point ‘when he was done’.
A source told the Mail on Sunday the figure was approximately £500,000 and traced to 2022, when Benn’s initial fight with Chris Eubank Jr was aborted at the 11th hour following our report on his failed drugs test.
It is understood Hearn loaned Benn a portion of the money he was due to earn from his fight purse and was paid back without interest two years later.
Eddie Hearn is in shock after boxer Conor Benn ended their 10-year promotional relationship
Benn announced he had jumped ship to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing late on Friday evening
Hearn repeatedly defended Benn in public during the course of a lengthy legal battle, which only culminated in November 2024 after the National Anti-Doping Panel ruled it was ‘not comfortably satisfied’ that UK Anti-Doping had proven Benn had committed a doping offence.
Having since steered Benn to two fights with Eubank Jr, for which the son of former world champion Nigel Benn was paid excess of £10million, Hearn learned of his departure by email. It is understood the email was sent by Benn’s lawyer Lee Emptage and the pair have not spoken directly since.
The Mail on Sunday has attempted to contact Emptage for comment.
Hearn said: ‘It is very disappointing considering everything I have done for him. Maybe I misjudged his character.’
Speaking to iFL TV, the promoter added: ‘I just think the way it was done was very very wrong. But everyone is different. Some people, loyalty really matters, other people maybe not so.
‘The way it played out to receive an email from the lawyer and then to ask for a call and not the willingness to have it, you just lose a bit of your soul to it.’
Benn led his social media statements thanking Hearn and Matchroom ‘for everything they’ve done’ – and said he hoped to continue working with his old promoter – but claimed Zuffa ‘presented me with an opportunity I simply couldn’t refuse’.
‘I’m filled with excitement and hunger for what’s ahead with Zuffa Boxing,’ he continued.
A source told the MoS that Hearn loaned Benn £500k when his initial fight with Chris Eubank Jr was aborted at the 11th hour
Benn claimed he signed with Zuffa because he was given ‘an opportunity I couldn’t refuse’
‘I want the legacy fights, the biggest nights, the biggest stages. I fear no man at any weight, and I’m ready to give the fans the fights they’ve been calling for.
‘I’m in my prime, and together we have bold, ambitious plans’.
Benn’s move to Zuffa deal is understood to be lucrative – reportedly a one-fight agreement worth eight figures – which would leave him a free agent again after his promotional debut.
The switch also places Benn at the centre of Zuffa’s early ambitions to attract high-profile names and stage blockbuster events. Among the potential targets generating intrigue is American star Ryan Garcia, whom Benn has long pursued.
Garcia’s own promotional situation remains uncertain amid conflicting claims involving Golden Boy Promotions and founder Oscar De La Hoya. Garcia has suggested his contract with Golden Boy is due to expire on Sunday, while De La Hoya maintains multiple bouts remain on the agreement.
The public back-and-forth, set against Benn’s new deal with Zuffa, has intensified speculation that a Benn-Garcia showdown could materialise as one of the promotion’s first marquee matchups if the contractual picture clears.
It is understood Zuffa is planning multiple London events throughout 2026, raising the prospect of Benn and Garcia headlining a blockbuster show after Benn previously claimed the pair could sell out a stadium.
Benn is also expected to be ringside for Garcia’s forthcoming contest against Mario Barrios, raising the prospect of a face-off or promotional moment that could further stoke anticipation around a possible transatlantic showdown.
Benn has long pursued Ryan Garcia and speculation is abound that he could now face him
White called Benn’s signing a ‘huge addition’ to his team.
‘Conor Benn is an absolute beast and a superstar,’ he said in a statement.
‘He shows up every time and destroys people, and now some of the best fighters in the world are calling him out. He’s ready for a world title next and I can’t wait to see him compete in Zuffa Boxing.
‘He’s going to be a huge addition to a growing stable of very talented boxers.’