Benn (24-1, 14 KO) will face former two-time junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 KO) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov event streaming live on Netflix. The fight is included in a $15 million per-fight deal tied to Zuffa’s expansion into boxing.
In an interview with Boxing King Media, Hearn focused on weight and partner selection.
“150? It’s good that Conor will try to get down to 160,” Hearn said of the agreed catchweight.
He then assessed Prograis’ current situation.
“I like Regis. You saw in the Jojo Diaz fight that he’s not the fighter he used to be. He’s still a decent fighter, but Conor should be too fresh.
“It was never a fight we were looking at because I wanted to give him a world title shot. But as a water fight, if you will… It will be weird seeing him on the undercard, but I don’t think it will bother him that much when he gets paid.”
Hearn also touched on the reported purse.
“Let’s see what the UFC fighters have to say. It’s fascinating. It’s a problem for them.”
Shalom reacted sharply to Hearn’s public stance.
“I just couldn’t believe the reaction. I thought it was a travesty, I thought Eddie Hearn was faking outrage,” Shalom told Boxing King Media.
“I found it pathetic in the circumstances, that’s what they are and that’s what they do.
“They’re all bastards.”
Shalom compared the situation to Ben Whittaker’s departure from BOXXER.
“It hurt me,” he said. “I put everything into it, so I know why it hurts.
“Did I get a thank you? No. Did I get a call? No. So that hurt me.”
“I’m not saying what Conor Benn did was right, I just found the reaction comical.”
Inside the ropes, Benn faces an experienced southpaw who won his 140-pound title using hefty left hands and constant pressure.
It now organizes parallel competitions on April 11. Benn vs. Prograis and Fury vs. Makhmudov in the ring. Promoters behind microphones outside him.
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.