Eddie Hearn says Conor Benn is 'at the bottom of the pile' at Zuffa Boxing

The Matchroom promoter said Benn will either retire, have a big argument with Zuffa or fight Chris Eubank Jr, who he said 'holds all the keys' to a trilogy.

Eddie Hearn said Conor Benn is "at the bottom of the pile" at Zuffa Boxing and that he will either retire, fall out with the company or face Chris Eubank Jr for a third time.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference after Dalton Smith's split-decision win over Alberto Puello in Sheffield on Saturday night, the Matchroom promoter said Eubank Jr "actually holds all the keys in terms of the Conor Benn trilogy".

He said: "You go on a private jet, they fly you in, you get to go in the ice cold plunge at the UFC headquarters in Vegas, oh it's amazing, they give you a big deal and congratulations to him on that big deal. Then you get sparked in a round or two rounds, sorry, or whatever it was and then you are out. Right now Conor Benn is at the bottom of the pile."

Hearn said Benn has a comeback fight in his contract "for quite a lot of money", and that Zuffa would offer him opponents he will not accept before suggesting he fight Carlos Adames for the world middleweight title, maybe for less money. "The day Conor Benn fights Carlos Adames for the world middleweight title is like, it's just never going to happen," he said.

He added: "So he'll either retire, have a big argument with Zuffa or fight Chris Eubank Jr. But Eubank Jr will hold him and hold him by the nuts and say if you want to fight me, here's the deal."

Ryan Garcia stopped Benn in the second round of their WBC welterweight title fight in Las Vegas in September. Benn and Eubank Jr last fought at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2025.

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