Reflections – Conor Benn leaving Matchroom for Zuffa all seems a bit surreal
BBN’s Caledonian columnist, Donald C Stewart, poses the key question, ‘How much in today’s currency is 30 pieces of silver worth?’
There is only one story in boxing this week.
Described as a stab in the heart, the biggest betrayal in boxing, or just business.
Connor Benn’s move to Zuffa Boxing has captured everybody’s attention, because it came from left field.
Nobody expected this and few are defending the young man.
Nigel Benn and Tony Sims have remained tight-lipped with no pronouncement from either of them.
Despite his fulsome praise online for the team at Matchroom and the Netflix programme and a half dedicated to his first fight, with Chris Eubank Junior, Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith have made their feelings known. There is even the possibility that Simon Jordan has already expressed sympathy to Eddie Hearn. It is all beginning to feel rather surreal.
I feel for Eddie Hearn. There is a lot of shock and sympathy, waiting for the rest of the story to unfold.
Hearn has made it clear that he doesn’t want to get into a slanging match with Connor Benn, skilfully keeping his comments somewhere between hints of the relationship before and how he feels raw, as well as it’s business, we move on.
I have more sympathy for Smith, given that his missus is Chris Eubank’s sister, and the support that he gave to Benn, caused tension within his own family.
It is unfair, but certainly not unthinkable, that Connor Benn does not recognise the trouble he caused Frank Smith.
It’s the old adage, if you want loyalty, buy a dog, has come home in a way that boxing has not managed to show for some considerable time.
Here’s the thing, how much money is enough?
There are rumours that Connor Benn managed to earn over £20 million from his two fights with Chris Eubank Jr. Even if it was £1 million for each fight, how much money is too much?
How much in today’s currency is 30 pieces of silver?
Dana White is in a fight with Eddie Hearn. This could lead to, as Matchroom have signed a new five-year deal with DAZN, a real tough battle. Hearn says it’s a 10-year fight. Carl Froch says White is levels above Hearn. This is therefore the greatest battle that Hearn has ever fought in all his years in boxing.
He is up against it.
DAZN is similarly up against it, because it looks like Sky Sports are going to return to boxing.
Who knows what they are going to bring as new promotional companies making a splash with MVP, coming across the pond with the Dubois-Harper fight spearheading women’s boxing in the UK with a stacked undercard.
On top of that, we also have the Misfits boxing moving into the professional ranks, whilst John Fury and Carol Froch gather momentum in terms of having some kind of bizarre match-up. In a venue/car park near somebody somewhere. (John Fury has done the “it depends on the money” sign on a YouTube video, suggesting once again that Spartans need cash.)
Connor Benn meanwhile has gone from zero to hero to villain.
Johnny Nelson has described the decision to go to Zuffa as a bold move. Plenty of commentators have suggested that nobody can question any boxer pursuing the cash because it is a short and dangerous career. On the way out of the Garcia fight Benn was talking of getting a fight with Ryan Garcia, who called out Shakur Stevenson in the ring. In his statement Benn spoke of chasing legacy fights. As Joe Gallagher has pointed out, Benn has not got a belt-based legacy so what legacy are we talking about? Benn wants the green and gold belt his father won – Garcia now holds it. Zuffa boxing does not believe in the belts. The rumour is that Benn has a one fight deal. What if he loses? What if it is not for the WBC belt?
This is therefore absolutely a bold move. Eddie Hearn put his family’s money and his own legacy on the line for a young man who he “believed” during the darkest moment in his life. Note the past tense. Eddie Hearn endured yet another broadside from Chris Eubank Jr. – what has happened with the court case that Eubank Jr. was threatened with? Will Benn win a new Zuffa contract if he wins against… who? Who has he been promised? This has got so much to run, and the questions are flowing without any answers but only speculation. But one thing is clear. Whilst we have to endure yet another boxer parading their faith after a fight, which is more than acceptable, even nice to see and hear, it is their behaviour between fights that their Lord and Master shall judge them on. I wonder if all these “businessmen” with alleged faith, have measured the eye of a needle.
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