Eddie Hearn Questions Zuffa Role in Conor Benn $15M Fight

Matchroom promoter says Conor Benn’s participation must still comply with his existing contract

Eddie Hearn says questions remain about who will officially promote the upcoming Zuffa boxing event involving Conor Benn. The Matchroom chairman pointed to conflicting comments about the structure of the April 11 card.

Benn is expected to face Regis Prograis on the April 11 card tied to the new boxing venture connected to TKO Group Holdings and Zuffa. The bout has been widely linked to a purse reported at about $15 million for Benn.

Hearn indicated that questions remain about who will officially promote the show.

“Mark Shapiro on a TKO invest call said Zuffa and TKO are the promoters of the Tyson Fury event,” Hearn said during a media interview. “So we’ll see if they are.”

Hearn noted that Benn’s participation must still fit the terms of the fighter’s promotional agreement.

“And by the way, they have to be under Conor Benn’s contract,” he said.

Benn remains tied to Matchroom Boxing under a long-term promotional deal, which means any appearance on an outside card must comply with that agreement.

Large boxing events sometimes move forward through co-promotion agreements or event-specific arrangements that allow fighters to appear while remaining under existing contracts.

The card is headlined by Tyson Fury, who has been linked to a bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Zuffa’s entry into boxing has drawn attention across the sport as large purses begin pulling fighters toward the new venture. Those deals also raise questions about how existing promotional contracts will work when fighters appear on outside events and how those arrangements will be approved.

Benn’s fight with Prograis has quickly become one of the biggest bouts linked to the project. The reported purse and the involvement of different promoters have placed the event under closer scrutiny, with others in the sport watching to see how these arrangements are handled and whether similar deals follow soon.