Hearn reacted to Benn’s departure on iFL TV just hours after the announcement. In a somber conversation, the Matchroom boss admitted he was “pretty devastated” by the news.
“I blame myself, because I just forgot it was boxing. I just felt that the loyalty we’ve shown (Benn) would never, ever put us in this position. I just felt like I never needed to push Conor Benn to sign a new contract before, and I probably could have gotten him to sign a new contract before. But like I said, I blame myself.
“I made a mistake because I misjudged the character. And again, I’m not going to abandon him. He’ll say, ‘That was a great offer, right?’ But, you know, when I got the email from his lawyer, I texted him and said, ‘I think we should call each other.’ I think for everything I’ve done for you, I think I deserve a call. And he said, ‘No.’ And I was like, ‘Man, damn, I can’t believe this.’
“I just don’t know what to say other than I felt like everything we gave him, the loyalty we gave him, the support we gave him, would be enough to talk about it, or just, you know, get us close to a number. But it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t really the interest. It was very, very surprising, very, very painful.”
Advertisement
Hearn has had many fighters leave his promotion during his 15-year boxing promotion career, but none as agonizing as Benn’s departure from Matchroom. Just days earlier, Matchroom announced a five-year extension with DAZN, and Benn’s face was portrayed as one of the focal points of his team.
According to Hearn, Benn messaged him after the signing was announced on Friday and things did not end on good terms.
“I got a couple of texts (because Benn) texted me right after the announcement. And I responded, you know, we had a few exchanges, but you either feel like you haven’t done anything wrong or you’re, like I say, everyone’s different.”
“(It) feels like a few wasted years, (because) I gave a lot. I gave a lot. You know how hard I fought (for Benn). You know, when no one believed him, no one backed him, I did it. I believed him and I backed him and I never gave up. When it was over, I lent him hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Benn failed two drug tests for the banned substance clomiphene in the summer of 2022. What followed was a two-year process for Benn to clear his name. During that time, many in boxing turned against Benn, including the British public. Hearn, however, supported Benn throughout the process, insisting that he believed his fighter was innocent.
Advertisement
Hearn suffered a lot of criticism from boxing fans for supporting someone who he felt had attempted to deceive the sport. The Benn saga was the main topic of conversation in multiple battles between Hearn and talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan, which made headlines across Britain. However, the British promoter vehemently defended his fighter throughout, even supporting him financially so that Benn could pay his legal fees during the process. Hearn said the cancellation of the original fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Benn had cost him more than £1 million.
Benn is managed by Keith Connolly, who also represents Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins, who both left Hearn’s Matchroom in recent years. Hitchins declared his free agency in the ring after his successful title defense against George Kambosos last June, a move that severely angered Hearn.
“I blame myself,” Hearn concluded of Benn. “I made a mistake about the character. I took loyalty for granted for what I did, and I shouldn’t have done that. And I’ve made that mistake before in boxing, but I just didn’t expect it from Conor Benn. So, like I said, maybe he’s not exactly the person I thought he was. I don’t know. Look, maybe we’ll talk to (Benn) in the future, but what can I say?”