“I’m not an emotional character,” said Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith, when asked for his reaction to the news that Conor Benn had left Matchroom Boxing for Zuffa.
“We live and we learn, we move on. You have to accept that not everyone’s going to have the same values and principles and morals as you and go about things the right way. But again, it is what it is. We sit here and moan, but we’ve got to focus on what we’re doing.
“We’ve got a huge business, 40 shows a year around the world. We’ve got 10,000 people in Nottingham tonight, 10,000 people in Phoenix next week. Let’s move on. Let’s go to war.”
Smith’s attitude was, he said this morning, “It is what it is.
“We’ve made the mistakes now of believing he was loyal, or whatever you want to call it. And, look, we’re never going to stand in the way of people making money and doing well, but there’s a way to do things and he obviously doesn’t have those values. But let's get moving with what we've got going on.”
Asked whether he thought there had been times before when Benn considered leaving, Smith said: “I've always been open about my views. I always thought Conor had this kind of thing in him. That’s the character he is. Conor wouldn't be in the position he’s in without Matchroom. That’s the reality of it. And without Eddie. I’m not even saying myself – [but] without Eddie.
“You know, 10 years of grit, work, determination, investment. Who would have stood by him after the Cedrick Peynaud hard fight? Who would have stood by him after two years of the situation he went through and answered every question and not shied away from any question, and not shied away from defending him week in, week out?
“And I still believe he’s a huge commercial star. I’m not going to sit here and slag him off and pretend. But as an individual, I always had a very up-and-down relationship with him. I’ve been open about that. It was in our Netflix documentary, because I’m very honest and I tell him the truth. And the reality is, a lot of athletes – and Conor – like people around him who blow smoke up their arse and tell them what they want to hear, and don't look at things from a 360 view.”
Asked whether Smith felt it was more of an insult because it has been reported that Benn’s Zuffa contract is only a one-fight deal, Smith said: “Why? Who cares? It’s all insulting, isn’t it? Whichever way you look at it. He’s going to go out there and do what he’s going to do. Let’s see what happens. Look, he’s going to a group of people now – look at what they did to Tom Aspinall when he, in the UFC [got injured with an eye gouge after a recent fight], when they threw him under the bus after his fight as the heavyweight champion of the UFC. Like, good luck to him [Benn]. If anything ever goes wrong in his career, good luck to him.”
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
