Regis Prograis has described himself as having “no sympathy” for Eddie Hearn after watching Conor Benn, his next opponent, leave Matchroom for Zuffa Boxing.
Hearn and the 29-year-old Benn were widely considered to have one of the closest promoter-fighter relationships – Hearn had guided him from his professional debut into becoming one of Britain’s highest-profile fighters and also through the controversy that surrounded his career when he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
His departure for Dana White’s Zuffa was not only unexpected, it represented a move to the organisation threatening to become Matchroom’s biggest rivals, but Prograis – who was previously promoted by Matchroom – insists that Benn did the right thing by accepting the money from Zuffa that was on offer.
The figure consistently reported for his one-fight contract is a remarkable $15m, and Prograis – who on April 11 at a catchweight of 150lbs will fight Benn at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov – said that his opponent essentially had no choice.
“The figures definitely shocked me,” the 37-year-old told BoxingScene. “I don’t know how true it is. Maybe it’s true. Maybe it’s not. We don’t really know. I know he was real close to Eddie, but we’re loyal to the dollar. Most of us, that’s who we loyal to. It’s prizefighting, and at the end of the day, we’re all gonna retire. We’re all gonna get old and we’re all gonna retire. You can’t pay your bills with belts and your resume.
“The money has to pay your bills – the money is the thing that keeps you going for the rest of your life. That, for Conor, is the most important thing. That’s what the fighters are loyal to – money more than anything else.”
While Prograis was being promoted by Matchroom and preparing to fight Devin Haney – also then with Matchroom – Prograis once described Haney as being “Hearn’s guy”.
“Eddie’s gonna be fine,” said the two-time junior-welterweight world champion. “That’s the thing. I can’t say I have sympathy for Eddie – Eddie’s living very good. He’s the son of a legendary [promoter, in Barry]. He’s living very good. I can’t say I have sympathy for Eddie.
“Eddie is a promoter – he can be doing this for the rest of his life. As a fighter, you can’t do this for the rest of your life. He’s gonna be doing this forever – that’s what he does. He’s living very good – probably better than most of his roster.”
