Oscar De La Hoya reacts as Conor Benn signs with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing
oscar de la hoya has weighed in after Conor Benn, the 29-year-old known as “The Destroyer, ” left Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing after a decade to sign with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, a move Benn says is motivated by a hunt for “legacy fights” and the “biggest stages. ”
Oscar De La Hoya questions Benn’s move
Oscar De La Hoya called the switch “mind-boggling, ” saying he does not understand who would be funding what has been reported as an eight-figure purse for Benn’s next outing. In an interview, De La Hoya added: “Eddie Hearn must be p***ed off. My god, how can they do that to Eddie Hearn? It is not right. ” He said he had heard it might be a one-fight deal and repeated questions about who is paying Benn, warning that Benn will “demand a lot of money. ”
Benn leaves a 10-year Matchroom partnership
It was announced yesterday that Benn has ended his working relationship with Matchroom, the promoter who had guided him since his professional debut in 2016. In a public statement Benn thanked Eddie Hearn and the entire Matchroom team for guiding him when he first turned professional, for headlining stadium shows and for standing “shoulder to shoulder” during tough times. He said the journey had been beyond anything imagined, that he would always be grateful, and that Zuffa Boxing “presented me with an opportunity I simply couldn't refuse. ” Benn added he would like Hearn to remain part of his team and for the partnership to evolve in this new chapter.
Benn’s recent ring run and immediate targets
Benn beat long-time rival Chris Eubank Jr in a blockbuster rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November after losing their first encounter by unanimous decision in April. That November victory came at middleweight; Benn has since moved down in weight to pursue a world title. He has won 24 of his 25 professional bouts and has been confirmed as the mandatory challenger for the WBC welterweight belt. The WBC title is currently held by Mario Barrios, who will first defend his belt against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas on February 21. Benn has said he is within “touching distance” of the WBC title and is ready to fight the winner of the Barrios–Garcia match-up.
How past controversies and U. S. fights shaped the switch
Hearn had been a strong ally to Benn, especially after Benn twice tested positive for clomifene ahead of a cancelled encounter with Chris Eubank Jr in 2022. Amid his attempts to clear his name, Benn boxed twice in the United States: he faced Rodolfo Orozco in 2023 and Peter Dobson in 2024 before returning to the Eubank rivalry last year.
What Zuffa Boxing’s approach means
De La Hoya noted broader unease among traditional promoters, saying he and others have been critical of White’s events and his plans to marginalise boxing’s four major sanctioning bodies. Zuffa Boxing is expected to ignore the sport’s world championship belts — the WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA — in most cases, a policy that De La Hoya said makes Benn’s promotional shift particularly notable.
Benn framed the move in combative terms in his statement, saying he is “filled with excitement and hunger” and wants “the legacy fights, the biggest nights, the biggest stages. ” He added: “I fear no man at any weight, and I'm ready to give the fans the fights they've been calling for. I'm in my prime, and together we have bold, ambitious plans. ”
oscar de la hoya’s comments and Benn’s announcement close one chapter and open another: Benn departs a ten-year relationship with Matchroom and immediately sets his sights on the WBC picture and fights against top names, while critics question the financial and sanctioning implications of his new deal. The next confirmed date on the calendar is Barrios’s defence of the WBC belt against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas on February 21, the result of which Benn has said he is ready to challenge.
