Eddie Hearn knows Conor Benn as well as anyone and even he isn’t sure exactly what went wrong in Benn’s loss to Ryan Garcia this past Saturday.
Benn challenged Garcia for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas, but didn’t make it out of the second round after Garcia stunned him with a right hand before eventually earning a victory via technical knockout. It was just the second loss for Benn, who was challenging for a world title for the first time.
Hearn, Benn’s former boss at Matchroom Boxing, expected a Garcia win, but was still disappointed by what he saw from “The Destroyer.”
“My last few predictions were that I thought Ryan Garcia would win inside three rounds,” Hearn told iFL TV. “Remember, I’ve been around Conor Benn his whole career. I know him pretty well and I just felt that he looked lost. I don’t know. Didn’t really look like himself. Maybe it was just weight. The thing is that Conor’s the kind of guy that will be holding weight for a long time, does that make sense? I don’t think Conor Benn, because of how light he came in, I don’t think he crashed the weight 24 hours before.
“I think he would have brought his weight down and I think over a period of time, with how hard Conor Benn trains, he just looked like—I don’t know whether it was his confidence or—He looked lost. In the ring, he looked all over the place. Jumping around, diving in, he looked like a rabbit in headlights.”
Benn shocked the boxing world when he parted ways with Matchroom this past February to sign with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing promotion. His relationship with Hearn has been chilly since, but Hearn made sure to praise Benn for his work ethic, saying it is “unbelievable” how much the 29-year-old has improved since making his pro debut in 2016.
However, Hearn also believes Benn has a ceiling that became evident to everyone watching Saturday.
“I suppose I’ve got more reasons than most to sort of throw him to the wolves, if you like, but I don’t think there’s any need to,” Hearn said. “Look at what he’s done. People get on his back now, ‘He’s useless. He couldn’t win a British title. Who’s he ever beat?’ And they might be right, but he’s done it, hasn’t he? How has he, with the people that he’s beaten, got in that position to make that money and be in those kinds of fights?
“Listen, obviously I’m extremely conflicted. My job is to hype up a fighter and position him into big fights, and I’m not going to sit here now and say, ‘He was never any good. And I never really believed in him,’ because I do think Conor Benn is a good fighter and I think that he has also improved so much. … He deserves a lot of credit for how hard he’s worked to get in that position. Now is he world class? I think what we’ve found it is no he’s not, but it doesn’t mean he’s not a good fighter. It doesn’t mean he’s southern area title-level. I just don’t think he’s good enough to win a world title or box that level, particularly at a weight class that’s actually not suited to him.”
Hearn still thinks there’s money to be made with Benn, particularly if he’s interested in pursuing a trilogy bout with longtime rival Chris Eubank Jr. The two competed in a memorable two-fight series in 2025, which was viewed as a continuation of the classic rivalry between their fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. Eubank won the first fight, which was an instant 12-round classic, while Benn earned the decision nod in the rematch, which was considerably less action-packed.
Then again, Hearn also wonders if Benn simply walks away from the fight game with a healthy bank account in tow.
“Listen, Conor Benn will be done in the next year or so,” Hearn said. “He may have one more fight. Who knows? He may not even fight again because he’s made his money. … I think he wants his money, he’s made a load of money. What else is there? He’s not going to beat anybody of significance at 160, so what are you in the game for?
“What Conor Benn’s in the game for is to make his money. He’s done that. He’s absolutely had it off. … Conor Benn is not in love of the sport and chasing greatness. … I’m not saying he didn’t care about winning the world championship, but Conor Benn’s life is not just boxing. He’s interested in a lot of other things.”
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