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Eddie Hearn suggests Benn may miss second fight with Zuffa

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Image: Eddie Hearn’s reaction hints Conor Benn may not get second Zuffa fight

Benn won a tougher-than-expected unanimous decision over 37-year-old former 140-pound world champion Prograis at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Hearn suggested the fight exposed the limitations of the weight.

“Regis could barely get up. He ended up being forced into a fight he shouldn’t have been in, and Conor will be disappointed he didn’t stop him,” Hearn told professional boxing fans of the injured Prograis after the loss to Benn.

“I actually kind of like Conor at heavyweight. I’m not sure what’s going on with him down there,” Hearn said of Ben fighting at 150. “He looked like he had no power at all. I thought he looked a lot stronger and full of energy at 160.”

The top tier of the welterweight division features five talented fighters who could pose a problem for Benn. Based on these results, placing Benn alongside the likes of Jaron Ennis and even bottom-15 powerhouses at 154 would be a huge step forward. The aura is gone, and Hearn’s reaction suggests he already knows it.

“Is that so? I’m sure it was a one-fight deal,” said a smiling Hearn, reacting to the interviewer’s words: “Apparently his [Benn] one fight contract [with Zuffa] is over.”

Hearn’s smile at the thought of the upcoming Zuffa deal is like that of a man who is cheerful to let someone else take care of his headache. There is a huge difference between a player who is an asset and a player who is an exorbitant liability.

His comment about Benn’s lack of power at the lower weight is the biggest sign of trouble.

If the investment fails to produce a return due to destitute performance, the promotional enthusiasm immediately disappears.

Benn admitted that he had to lose significant weight to get to a catchweight of 150 pounds. If he looked exhausted and tender against the smaller Prograis, Zuffa probably suspects he’ll fall apart against elite 154-pounders like Jaron Ennis and Sebastian Fundora.

Zuffa and Dana White focus on punches. Benn’s inability to stop the stationary, injured veteran suggests he may have reached his ceiling, making him a bad buy for a franchise that relies on dominance.

While pundits like Ariel Helwani suggested the one-fight contract was the start of something longer, Hearn’s dismissive statement, “I’m sure it was a one-fight contract,” sounded like someone who expected it to end there.

If Zuffa wants Benn back, it will probably cost less. After a $15 million purse, this is a demanding reset that not every team agrees to.

Benn has already called up Ryan Garcia for September, but this type of fight requires support. If Zuffa is not sold, it will either be moved to another platform or not manufactured.

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Boxing

Former footballers’ boxing event, supported by Tony Bellew and David Price, raised £73,500 for charity

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Ex-footballers’ boxing event backed by Tony Bellew and David Price raises £73,500 for charity

A commendable sum of £73,500 was raised for charity as Tony Bellew and David Price gathered for a boxing night in Liverpool.

The gala took place on April 17 and former professional footballers clashed at the event, which was endorsed by sporting icons such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

The event, billed as “A Night To Remember II”, followed Pro Project Promotions’ first charity boxing event in October with the aim of giving retired athletes the opportunity to rekindle their competitive spirit.

Similarly, Pro Project Promotions founder Graham Stack, a former Arsenal goalkeeper, hopes to raise a total of £500,000 in the organization’s debut year.

He’s already close to halfway there, having raised a total of £201,000 for charities including Children’s Charity Merseyside and Autism Merseyside.

Stack made it clear that this was just the beginning.

“I am very proud to see Pro Project Promotions grow from strength to strength. These events give retired players a purpose, structure and a way to continue to compete for something that truly matters.

“To raise £73,500 [in April] and moving our total for six months over £201,000 is fantastic. We are closing in on £500,000 raised for the charity and I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far.”

Pro Project Promotions will return to Liverpool’s Grosvenor House Hotel on October 22, with ambassadors such as Natasha Jonas and Liam Smith expected to continue to provide support.

As for April’s performance, it was ultimately Swansea City cult hero Lee Trundle who won the main event against former Scotland striker Chris Iwelumo.

Participants, artists and charities for Pro Project Promotions’ next boxing event will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Boxing

Shakur Stevenson may not be seeing the real problem

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Image: Shakur Stevenson May Be Missing The Real Problem

The response was immediate.

One fan accused Stevenson of talking about major fights without taking steps to make them happen.

“The fuck is when are you??? You ran to Zuffa to avoid Shock??? You didn’t want to smoke with Devin, if you’re waiting for the right moment it makes sense if you fight, now you’re trying so tough to keep it 0,” the critic wrote.

Shakur either really doesn’t get it yet or is trying to masterfully do public relations damage control to keep his name among the division’s elite.

If Dana White runs Zuffa Boxing by the UFC playbook, the league format completely changes the game. In this world, you don’t call on top-level players or Matchroom players because you’re locked in a closed ecosystem. The UFC does not partner with Bellator or PFL to stage superfights, and they have no intention of sending their prized fighters to fight on a rival network under a different promotional banner.

If Shakur really thinks he can just pocket a huge salary at Zuffa and still easily land Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez, he’s in for a rude awakening. The promotional walls are bulky, and Dana White is not known for playing well with classic boxing promoters.

At this point, Shakur still speaks like an independent performer who can dictate his own path. But if Zuffa is building a league, it has simply traded that independence for a corporate structure. He may find himself trapped in a gilded cage completely isolated from the struggles that he claims define the legacy.

If the UFC model is the plan, it guarantees financial security but risks complete isolation from the wider boxing world. By the time he finishes his tour of duty and realizes that mass promotion fights will be off the table forever, the physical attributes that made him a four-division champion may already be gone.

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Boxing

Trainer Buddy McGirt Picks Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 Winner Based on One ‘Plain Fact’

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Trainer Buddy McGirt picks a winner in Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 based on one ‘simple fact’

Former two-division world champion and top trainer Buddy McGirt has suggested that one fighter, between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, will likely go into the fight with one clear advantage.

According to reports, both pound-for-pound legends will face each other in a professional rematch scheduled for September 26.

It was originally proposed to take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19 just for those dealing with the Netflix event to choose a different date and location.

However, despite the uncertainty, it appears that both fighters have agreed to collide in a fully sanctioned fight, with Mayweather graciously putting his 50-0 record on the line.

The 49-year-old hasn’t fought professionally since a 10th-round knockout of Conor McGregor in 2017, which came just over two years after he edged ‘Pac Man’ by unanimous decision.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, has competed in eight professional fights since their first meeting, most recently drawing to a 12-round draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July.

McGirt said that because of this increased activity in recent years ESNEWS that it favors the 47-year-old Filipino, even if neither player can realistically claim to be a role model of activism.

“I am [going to] follow Pacquiao for the straightforward fact that Floyd didn’t fight – e.g [in] fight-fight – for how long?

“These exhibition fights, you can’t really count them. Then again, I’ll go with Pacquiao, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Floyd manages to do it.”

Although Pacquiao has fought more recently than Mayweather, his draw with Barrios ended a nearly four-year hiatus that followed his unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas.

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