Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith has taken Conor Benn’s departure as a “personal” bump in the road, believing that the 29-year-old only cares about himself.
It was announced on Friday that Benn has signed a one-fight deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, ending his long-time promotional relationship with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
Since making his professional debut under the Matchroom banner in 2016, the Ilford man crafted a 24-1 record and is now considered one of the biggest names in British boxing.
Along the way, though, there has been no shortage of pitfalls and controversies, with Benn most notably testing positive for clomifene on two separate occasions in 2022.
As a result of his failed tests, ‘The Destroyer’ was no longer permitted to enter his showdown with Chris Eubank Jr, who he later faced in two encounters last year.
During this time, too, Hearn and Smith played a key role in rehabilitating Benn’s image, allowing him to twice fight in America ahead of his two blockbuster clashes with Eubank.
Their first middleweight contest, in April, saw Benn lose a unanimous decision, before exacting his revenge over the weight-restricted Brit last November.
Now, the WBC’s leading welterweight contender looks to test the waters with White’s Zuffa Boxing, with Matchroom’s Smith telling IFL TV that he believes the boxer only cares about himself.
“I’ve always had an up and down relationship with Conor. And Conor cares about one person: himself. He doesn’t care about what people have done for him.
“That’s my opinion. For me, it’s more personal than business, because of everything I went through over those years, with the Eubank fight. It cuts a bit different.”
While Benn is ranked No.1 with the WBC at 147lbs, it remains to be seen whether Zuffa will choose to recognise such a status, given their attempt to marginalise boxing’s sanctioning bodies.