Eddie Hearn doubts Conor Benn will fight for Zuffa again, suggesting the price of his comeback could lead to a disagreement over the opponent.
The Matchroom promoter believes Zuffa will want Benn to accept a difficult fight to justify his purse. However, Hearn admits he does not know whom the company intends to offer, making this his forecast rather than evidence of a breakdown between Benn and his promoter.
“He’s got a comeback fight. Watch who they try and make him fight for that comeback fight,” Hearn told reporters. “I don’t believe he’ll fight for Zuffa again.”
Hearn referred to a $15 million payment to Benn while discussing fighter pay, but did not provide contract details establishing what Benn would receive for his next appearance.
Asked to identify the opponent, Hearn made clear he was describing what he expects to happen.
“I don’t know, but what they’ll do is they’ll give him an opponent he doesn’t want to fight because he’s on a lot of money for a comeback fight,” he said.
That is the potential difficulty with an expensive comeback. The fighter may want an opponent who allows him to rebuild, while the promoter wants a bout that earns back some of its investment. Finding someone who satisfies both sides becomes harder when the purse is already high.
Demanding a tough fight hardly proves Zuffa wants rid of Benn. Any company committing serious money can reasonably expect a competitive contest. Benn’s actual reaction will come down to the exact opponent, the financial terms, plus what his contract requires.
Hearn’s critique must also be weighed against the source. As a competing promoter who spent much of the conversation taking aim at Zuffa’s boxing footprint, his forecast carries an obvious commercial angle.
Concrete matchmaking offers will give this situation substance. For now, Hearn has put his name to a blunt forecast, betting Benn’s negotiations end with him walking away rather than returning to the ring for Zuffa.
