The Briton sent shockwaves through the sport on Friday night after leaving his long-term home to sign a deal with Zuffa Boxing.

Benn, who scored a career-best win over Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch last November, had been tipped to challenge for titles this year.

The top-ranked welterweight contender with the WBC, he had been widely expected to face the winner of Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia's bout.

News of his move from Matchroom however throws further questions up about the star's next move as he pursues further "legacy fights".

Speaking after the news broke, Hearn admitted he had been blindsided by the move, and criticised his own failure to secure a new deal with Benn.

"I'm not going to hang Conor Benn out to dry, but personally, I'm pretty devastated," he told iFL TV. "I've had a few days to digest

"I blame myself, because I just forgot it was boxing. I just felt that the loyalty that we've shown would never put us in this position.

"I just felt that I never really needed to push Conor Benn to sign a new contract. I probably could have got him to sign previously.

"I made a mistake, because I misjudged the character. When I received the email from his lawyer, I texted [that] we should have a call.

"He said no. I felt the loyalty and the support we gave him would be enough to talk it through. It was very surprising and very painful.

"It's a moment in life you live and learn from. He texted me just after the announcement, and we had a few back-and-forths. Everyone's different.

"I had choice words with his manager. Sometimes, you live in that world and lose your head a little bit. I feel the way it was done was very wrong."

Stunning defection reshapes 2026 for Benn and Hearn

DAZN News correspondent Andrew Steel

The cat is truly among the pigeons now - and just ahead of what could have been a pivotal night for Conor Benn and Eddie Hearn's Matchroom too.

The result that will unfold in Las Vegas between Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia could well have resulted in a third straight stadium fight for the Briton.

Instead, Hearn looks likely to be left out in the cold after Benn's stunning defection to Zuffa too - but it remains to be seen if it could cost him a title shot.

The upstart body has already attracted the ire of the WBC, whose welterweight crown was likely to be on the radar for a mega-fight later in 2026.

Now, both Benn and Hearn head towards the rest of the year with major questions over what the future holds. Expect this one to rumble on for a while yet.

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Watch three amazing fights this weekend - Feb 21-22 - exclusively on DAZN. It's Barrios vs. Garcia for the WBC welterweight title on PPV; with Wood vs. Warrington II, and Shields vs. Crews-Dezurn II on DAZN subscription. Get all three all included with DAZN Ultimate Tier. 

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