WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero said Conor Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) ducked a proposed world title fight, alleging the British welterweight chose a reported $15 million payday with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing over a shot at his belt.
Benn, who ended a decade-long relationship with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing earlier this year, is now scheduled to face former two-time light-welterweight champion Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The bout sits on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov, streamed globally on Netflix.
Romero, who had been in discussions over a title defense against Benn in the early months of 2026, took to X to make his feelings clear.
“Conor Benn is garbage, I didn’t wanna scare him off, but he ran away anyways.”
Romero said Benn pursued a world title shot before pivoting once the Zuffa money materialized. According to Seconds Out, Romero alleged Benn had been “begging” for the fight before the promotional switch killed negotiations.
Three Roads Not Taken
Benn’s former promoter also noted the alternative paths available. In a recent interview, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn said Benn had three distinct routes to a world title before choosing the Zuffa opportunity: a fight against IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker, which Hearn called the “clearest route”; a domestic stadium bout against Josh Kelly; and the WBA title shot against Romero in New York.
None of those fights matched the financial terms Zuffa offered.
“I said to him, imagine becoming a world champion, like your dad became world champion, and he wasn’t bothered,” Hearn said. “Well, of course, he wants to become a world champion, but he wants the money.”
The reported $15 million purse for a single non-title fight has drawn skepticism across combat sports, with UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley among those publicly questioning the figure. “I can’t imagine it being true,” O’Malley said. “I don’t even know who Conor Benn is.”
Dana White has defended the payout as a demonstration of Zuffa Boxing’s financial firepower, backed by a seven-year, $7.7 billion Paramount/CBS rights deal and support from Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh.
The Prograis Assignment
Benn returns to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the same venue where he split a pair of middleweight bouts with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025, losing a unanimous decision in April before avenging the defeat in the November rematch. His only career loss came in that first Eubank fight, contested above Benn’s natural welterweight division.
Benn framed the Prograis fight as a continuation of his ambitions at the highest level.
“April 11 can’t come soon enough,” Benn said in a statement carried by Sky Sports. “Fighting on the biggest stages, in the biggest shows, I fear no one.”
Prograis, who has suffered two of his three career losses on British soil, pushed back against the notion he is a safe pick for Benn’s Zuffa debut. “He’s not fighting some weight-drained super-middleweight,” Prograis said. “I am in shape and will bring home this victory.”
What Comes Next
The promotional split between Benn and Matchroom came amid an escalating feud between White and Hearn, with the UFC boss dismissing Hearn’s track record and vowing to “change the entire sport.” Benn thanked Hearn publicly on his way out, calling the Zuffa opportunity one he “simply couldn’t refuse.”
Romero, meanwhile, remains without the marquee defense that had been discussed. A Benn win over Prograis on April 11 would keep the WBA title fight commercially viable, even if the champion believes the Brit already showed his hand.
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