Matchroom CEO addresses recent claims.
Zuffa Boxing made their intentions clear when they first made their way into the sport. They spoke of making great changes and eliminating long-standing issues, yet nobody thought that they’d make the moves they have done this early on.
First off, they signed Jai Opetaia, previously an agent of Matchroom Boxing and someone who made his desire for belts very clear.
What was confusing to some was that Zuffa outright stated that they would only recognise boxing’s original eight weight classes (which does not include cruiserweight) and they would not recognise the sanctioning body belts, two things which would seem to automatically exclude Opetaia from their plans.
While that is a story in and of itself, a bigger one is when Zuffa signed Conor Benn, whose loyalty to Matchroom seemed to be quite clear to everyone. Not a flimsy assumption, considering how firmly Eddie Hearn was in Benn’s corner following the fighter’s positive drug test.
Since leaving Matchroom, though, Benn has made certain comments regarding his experiences under the company. In a recent interview with talkSPORT Boxing, he claimed Matchroom did not want to cover his father’s business-class flights.
Now, in an interview with Boxing King Media, Matchroom CEO Frank Smith has addressed Benn’s claims ahead of Dave Allen’s showdown against Filip Hrgovic.
“I saw him make comments about his dad’s business-class flights. It’s funny he doesn’t mention, you know, the court-side tickets to the [New York] Knicks we paid for. He doesn’t mention the 15 nights of hotel rooms for his team at the The Ring magazine awards that we paid for”, said Smith.
“People forget things. That’s the reality of life, and you know–so, I think there’s one person who’s tellin’ the truth in all of this.”
Want to get the latest boxing news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
