Conor Benn is set for a return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after agreeing share top billing with Tyson Fury and Arslan Makhmudov and fight Regis Prograis in his first outing for new promotion Zuffa Boxing.
The British fighter announced his split with long-time promoter Eddie Hearn last week after 10 years of working together, with Benn instead joining Hearn’s rival Dana White’s fledgling company on in eight-figure deal.
Hearn revealed that he was ‘devastated’ by the defection, not least because he stood by the boxing dynasty scion throughout his ordeal over two failed drug tests in 2022.
Benn previously fought in north London when he faced off with Chris Eubank Jr last year, with the fighter gaining his revenge after first being defeated by Eubank Jr in their initial meeting at the stadium.
His match-up with US light welterweight with Prograis is set to take place on Saturday April 11, with their main event coming ahead of Fury’s return to the ring after his retirement last year.
The evening is also set to be Netflix’s first-ever live broadcast, following a number of events shown from the United States – including Anthony Joshua’s meeting with Jake Paul last December – by the streaming giant.
Conor Benn will fight Regis Prograis on April 11 on the same card as the returning Tyson Fury
Former world champion Prograis last faced off with Jack Catterall on British soil at the Co-op Live in October 2024, with the Louisiana native losing to the Englishman by unanimous decision.
Benn’s decision to desert Hearn cast ripples through the boxing world, with Frank Warren sharing his comment in the form of a quote first made by former US President Harry S. Truman: ‘If you want loyalty, get a dog’.
‘Conor’s not even the best welterweight in Essex,’ Warren said bluntly of Benn. ‘He’s been protected.
‘Never fought a contender, never fought for a world title, let alone won one. Forget the two fights with Chris Eubank because I’ve never rated Junior either.
‘So lucky Conor, with all he’s been paid so far for such little talent. Even more so with the millions of dollars he’s supposed to be getting from UFC boss Dana White as he tries to make it in boxing.’
Daily Mail Sport reported that Hearn is thought to have leant Benn £500,000 following the collapse of his 2022 match-up with Eubank Jr, which came about due to his positive tests.
Hearn also repeatedly defended Benn in public during the lengthy legal battle which followed – only to learn of the end of his relationship with the boxer via email.
‘It is very disappointing considering everything I have done for him,’ Hearn said. ‘Maybe I misjudged his character.’
‘I just think the way it was done was very very wrong. But everyone is different. Some people, loyalty really matters, other people maybe not so.
‘The way it played out to receive an email from the lawyer and then to ask for a call and not the willingness to have it, you just lose a bit of your soul to it.’
