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'Lose a bit of your soul' - Eddie Hearn 'devastated' as Conor Benn leaves Matchroom Boxing for Dana White's Zuffa
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Published 21/02/2026 at 12:46 GMT
Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn has said that he is "pretty devastated" to see British fighter Conor Benn leave for Dana White's rival promotional company, Zuffa Boxing. Hearn said "you lose a bit of your soul" with the manner of Benn's departure, saying he was denied the chance to speak to his former fighter about the decision via a telephone conversation.
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Eddie Hearn has said he is "pretty devastated" after Conor Benn left his Matchroom stable to join Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing promotion company.
Benn, 29, had been with Hearn’s outfit since he turned professional, and had been through notable career highs and lows while with the organisation.
Benn appeared to be one of the most promising British welterweights in some time, and then signed up to a huge clash against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2022 - a massive fight given the history between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr., the fighters’ respective fathers.
However, that showdown was cancelled when Benn tested positive for a banned substance, and was forced to sit out a couple of years from competitive boxing while he contested a boxing ban.
Hearn’s Matchroom initially brought Benn back to fighting in the US when he was still unable to get a licence to operate in his home country, but eventually Eubank Jr. v Benn went ahead in April 2025, with the older fighter coming away with a win.
Benn then won the rematch in November, and with the emergence of Zuffa Boxing, he announced this weekend that he had decided to leave Matchroom.
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He wrote on Instagram that he was "filled with excitement and hunger for what's ahead with Zuffa Boxing" while paying tribute to his former promoters.
"First and foremost, I want to thank Eddie and the entire team at Matchroom for everything they have done for me over the past decade," wrote Benn, the son of former two-weight world champion Nigel.
"From guiding me when I first turned pro, to headlining stadium shows. They were not only with me for those highlight moments but stood shoulder to shoulder with me during the tough times."
Speaking to IFL TV, Hearn gave his reaction, expressing his surprise that Benn had decided to leave.
He said: "Me personally, pretty devastated. I have had a few days to digest what might happen. It is not often you get shocked.
"I blame myself. I misjudged the character. When I received the email from his lawyer, I texted him to have a call. For everything I've done, I deserve a call. He said no.
"I forgot it was boxing. I just felt the loyalty that we have shown would never ever put us in this position.
He continued: "It feels a little bit of a wasted few years. I gave a lot... I believed him and I backed him and I never gave in when he was done, out. Loaned him hundreds of thousands of pounds.
"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."
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Hearn added: "'He doesn't feel like he's done anything wrong - that's him as a person."
Asked whether Benn was Matchroom's second most valuable asset after Anthony Joshua, Hearn compared the two characters: "You can't mention those two in the same way, for many reasons.
"Joshua is a different breed in class and loyalty. Joshua is one of a kind. He's cut from a different cloth."
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